The US Department of Justice announced it is investigating an anti-Israel protest permitted by the NYPD just steps from the historic Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, according to the New York Sun.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on Sunday, Every time we see violence around a house of worship, we take action,” noting that a federal investigation “is underway.”
She added that the DOJ has “zero tolerance” for obstruction “around any American house of worship.”
The protest took place last week, when roughly 200 demonstrators gathered outside the synagogue to oppose an event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, which assists Jews in America and Canada with Aliyah to Israel.
Keffiyeh-clad protesters shouted chants including “Death to the IDF,” “We don’t want no Zionists here,” “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada,” and “Resistance you make us proud, take another settler out.” Other phrases reported included “one solution” and “stolen land.”
Barricades and a heavy NYPD presence kept order, though shoving broke out between anti-Israel agitators and counter-protesters. Activists heckled police officers, but no arrests were made.
The protest was condemned by several local leaders. A spokesperson for mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, while condemning the protest, also stated that Mamdani believes that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law”, while failing to clarify what in Nefesh B’Nefesh’s activities can be deemed a violation of international law.
Data released by the New York City Police Department on the day before the mayoral election won by Mamdani revealed that Jews were the victims in 62% of all hate crimes reported last month, with 29 antisemitic incidents out of a total of 47.
On the very day that Mamdani was elected, swastikas were sprayed on the Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn.
Last weekend, antisemitic graffiti reading “F**k Jews” was found scrawled on a sidewalk in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.