NYC Councilwoman Describes Chaos at Hillcrest High as ‘Terrorism’

After a disturbance at Hillcrest High School in Queens on Monday, New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino described the incident, which involved students, as “terrorism, plain and simple.”

According to the New York Post, the chaos broke out when students found out that a teacher had attended a pro-Israel rally, leading to a violent outburst where hundreds of students rampaged through the school’s hallways.

In response, Paladino posted on X, “Terrorism is violence against civilians to achieve a political goal. And that’s what we saw in one of our public schools, against a teacher whose only offense was being Jewish and peacefully expressing her support for Israel on her own time.” She described how the students organized online, stalked the teacher, and incited a riot, effectively hunting her down.

Reportedly, NYPD and school administrators intervened in time, escorting the teacher to safety in a locked office.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, Paladino questioned, “What would have happened to her if they actually managed to get their hands on her? Do you think she’d have survived unscathed?” She criticized the response of elected officials, saying, “We’ve seen a lot of platitudes from elected officials thus far. A lot of condemnations, and a lot of talk about how ‘this isn’t who we are’. Well, I’ve got news for you — clearly, this is who we’re becoming. Quickly.”

Paladino’s recommendations included the immediate suspension of all faculty at Hillcrest High School, pending a thorough investigation, and the firing of any faculty found to have contributed to the riot. She also called for the suspension of every student involved, with expulsion and criminal prosecution for the organizers. Additionally, she suggested an audit of the Department of Education’s personnel and curriculum to root out biases and ideologies that she believes are negatively impacting the education system.

Finally, Paladino stressed that these actions were essential to address the root causes of such incidents and to prevent the further degradation of societal values. She asserted that the current situation was a clear failure of modern progressivism and urged for immediate action beyond mere condemnations.