Eric Adams’ criticism of the violent protests against Israel in NYC

Mayor Adams delivered a strong speech on Wednesday morning regarding the escalation of protests by professional agitators at Columbia University and CUNY, emphasizing the importance of reinstating the American flag. Here is an excerpt of his remarks:

As protests started happening in the city, I felt uneasy.

I noticed similar patterns from the Black Lives Matter protests when it became evident that there were individuals intent on disrupting our city.

. . . And I understand that some may argue that the majority of protesters were students.

You don’t need to be the majority to influence and take over an operation.

That’s the crux of the matter.

If you want to nitpick on words, you can do so.

I want the New York City police to act, they will safeguard our city from those who seek to replicate global disturbances.

There is a movement to radicalize young individuals.

And I refuse to wait until it’s too late to acknowledge this issue.

This global problem involves the skilled manipulation of young people by radical influencers, and as Mayor of New York City, I will not stand for it.

. . . These external forces have a record of inciting chaos and escalating situations. Their aim is not peaceful protest, but chaos.

If you witnessed the events at City College with bottles and other objects being hurled at police officers, you saw the remarkable restraint displayed by those officers to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

As we announced yesterday, they are attempting to disrupt our city, and we will not allow it.

We are pleased to report that they have been removed from the campus.

. . . Those who broke into the building included students, but they were led by individuals unaffiliated with the university.

The assistance of the NYPD was required to clear Hamilton Hall and the encampments outside, successfully reclaiming the area.

From the beginning, we acknowledged students’ right to protest, recognizing free speech as a pillar of our society.

However, it was evident that certain individuals were not motivated by free speech but by chaos.

External actors were disrupting peaceful protests and influencing students to escalate the situation.

There is nothing peaceful about barricading buildings, damaging property, or dismantling security measures.

We cannot allow lawful protests to devolve into senseless violence.

There is no place for hate in our city. We have made that clear, inclusive of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Sikhism, and other forms of hate speech. We stand firm against hate in this city.

. . . This is not a moment of celebration. We should never have reached this point. We must not create environments where children are endangered. We must resist all efforts to radicalize young people in our city, as is happening worldwide.

[Adams emphasizes the importance of returning the American flag in place of the Palestinian flag].

That’s our flag, it represents us. You cannot take over our buildings and raise another flag. It may be acceptable to some, but not to me.

My uncle sacrificed his life for this country, and many others risk their lives every day. It is shameful that schools permit the flag of another nation to fly in ours.

So blame me for my patriotism. I commend [the NYPD] for reinstating our flag. We will not surrender our way of life to anyone.