Overview
- About 100 Pal-Awda demonstrators rallied outside Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills against an Israeli real-estate event, with videos capturing chants including “we support Hamas,” “Death to the IDF,” and “Globalize the intifada.”
- NYPD set up barricades, blocked nearby roads, and kept protesters and counterprotesters apart, with no major injuries or arrests reported.
- The synagogue canceled prayer services and nearby schools and a daycare closed early as residents described fear and disruption.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the rhetoric and is advancing plans for state legislation to establish safety zones near houses of worship, with City Council leaders signaling parallel measures.
- After criticism over his initial silence, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a Friday evening statement calling the rhetoric unacceptable and emphasizing coordination with police, as Pal-Awda continued surprise-location tactics and canceled a separate Manhattan action this week.