Protest at Park East Synagogue sparks criticism of NYC Mayor Mamdani

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism for his response to recent anti-Semitic incidents, including a protest outside the Park East Synagogue and swastika graffiti in the Queens borough.

New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, R-District 19, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has “created a very dangerous environment” and accused her of “standing on the side of the protesters.” Paladino’s district is in Queens but does not include graffiti areas.

“What this mayor has done, everyone in his path has been told it’s okay. This behavior is condoned and it’s okay, it’s not condemned, it’s condoned by the mayor of New York because he agrees 100% with it,” Paladino said. The councilman noted that Mamdani protested ICE as a councilwoman and even confronted “border czar” Tom Homan in 2025.

“I refuse to recognize him as my mayor… because he is not a leader,” he said.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASHED WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR THE SYNAGOGUE

On Tuesday evening, anti-Israel agitators clashed with police during a protest against the Great Israel Real Estate Event at Park East Synagogue. Videos circulating online show agitators attempting to break down and breach New York Police Department barricades as police officers attempted to gain control of the crowd.

Mamdani’s Deputy Press Secretary Sam Raskin told Fox News Digital: “Some of the rhetoric and behavior outside the Park East Synagogue (including showing support for terrorist organizations and anti-Semitic actions) was unacceptable. As the mayor said, slogans that support terrorist organizations and encourage all forms of violence have no place in our city.”

The protest gained national attention, with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., denouncing the protesters as a “mob of pro-Hezbollah/Hamas minded people.” The senator also said his own party did not condemn the incident strongly enough. Additionally, Deputy Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said: a post on x He said the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division would investigate.

“Park East Synagogue remains steadfast in our commitment to peaceful worship, and we are grateful for the NYPD’s tireless efforts to protect the community of our historic landmark synagogue,” a Park East Synagogue spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. he said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin are off to a shaky start, already fighting over the NYPD’s veto of covering student protests. (Gardiner Anderson/New York Daily News)

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The tumultuous protest comes just days after spray-painted swastikas were found in many parts of Queens. The symbols have been found in synagogues, private homes, cars and a Jewish community center. A swastika was painted on a plaque commemorating Holocaust victims. The NYPD later released surveillance images of four men wanted in connection with the anti-Semitic graffiti spree.

After the graffiti was discovered, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish and the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, visited the sites of vandalism. One Description of XMenin condemned the graffiti as “terrible signals of hatred and threats of violence.” Menin spokesman Jack Lobel also told Fox News Digital that he is discussing the matter with the NYPD to ensure those responsible for the vandalism are caught and held accountable.

The speaker also condemned the protest in front of the Park East Synagogue, saying, “Calls for the destruction of Israel and the glorification of Hezbollah are terrible, frightening and only fan the flames of anti-Semitism.”

New York City authorities allege that four suspects spray-painted swastikas and other anti-Semitic symbols on synagogues, homes and cars in Queens, New York, earlier this week. (New York City Council President Julie Menin/X)

MAMDANI IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER THE FIRST VETO RUINED THE EFFORTS OF THE BINARY PARTIES TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM: ‘DISAPPOINTED’

But Paladino called Menin’s visit to graffiti sites in Queens a “photo op” and said the speaker didn’t do enough.

In response to a request for comment, Lobel said: “Speaker Menin has a clear record of combating antisemitism, not just with words but with actions. His first major announcement as speaker was the Five-Point Plan to Combat Antisemitism, including strengthened protections of houses of worship and investments in Holocaust education.”

of Menin Five-point plan to combat antisemitism It included a proposal to “establish a perimeter around the entrances and exits of places of worship that prohibits harassment and intimidation of individuals while protecting their First Amendment rights.” The City Council passed two “buffer zone” bills, one protecting schools and the other protecting places of worship. Mamdani drew the ire of critics by vetoing the bill that would protect schools from protest-related harassment.

Anti-Israel agitators clash with the NYPD during a ‘Stop the Sale of Stolen Palestinian Land’ protest against the ‘Greater Israeli Real Estate’ event for the sale of Palestinian land at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 05, 2026 in New York City. (Selçuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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The protests and graffiti underscored New York Jews’ concerns that rising antisemitism would threaten their safety. While Mamdani’s responses to both events were criticized, her words regarding the protest attracted particular attention. the mayor said that he was “absolutely” against the incident.

In response to a reporter’s question, Mamdani said, “When we have a real estate fair that promotes the sale of land, which includes the sale of land in settlements in the occupied West Bank that violate international law, that is something I strongly disagree with.” The mayor added that he sees land sales as something “central to the ongoing effort to evict Palestinians from their homes.”

Recent events have increased criticism of Mamdani and raised questions about how the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel will confront antisemitism.

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Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.