'We are Hamas here,' 'long live Oct 7': chants outside NYC synagogue spark outrage

A pro-Hamas protesters chanted slogans in support of the jihadist group outside a New York synagogue on Thursday, in the city's latest antisemitism outrage that drew condemnation from a wide range of political figures. 

New York City comptroller Marc D. Levine said "there is no ambiguity here. This is support of a terrorist organization. This cannot be normalized and excused. Truly reprehensible."

Footage circulating on social media showed dozens of protesters chanting “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here” and "Love live October 7" outside the Young Israel synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. 

An extremist anti-Israeli group group named Pal-Awda identified the synagogue's location on social media earlier on Thursday, accusing the institution of hosting an “illegal event” with “Zionist real estate agencies” to sell property in the Jerusalem suburb of Ma’ale Adumim.

New York State Assemblyman Sam Berger, a Democrat who represents the area, said that local Jewish institutions voluntarily closed for the day after police notified them of the demonstration. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote that "Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews. No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it's dangerous, and it has no place in New York." 

"Whatever the amnesia surrounding 10/7, the truth must never be forgotten: Hamas murdered, maimed, mutilated, raped, and tortured thousands of innocent Israelis. It is—and has always been—a barbaric oppressor of its own people," wrote congressman Ritchie Torres. "Support for Hamas is not an expression of empathy for Palestinians; it is an expression of antipathy toward Jews and Israelis. Hate has no place in NYC."

The far-left, anti-Israel congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez joined the chorus of condemnations, thereby drawing ire from pro-Palestinian activists on social media. 

Former NYC mayor Eric Adams wrote that "The chants heard yesterday in the heart of the Jewish community in Kew Gardens, Queens, in support of Hamas were vile and deliberate acts of intimidation meant to terrorize our Jewish community."

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a brief, carefully worded statement of condemnation on X. 

"We're calling on the mayor to condemn this. Support for Hamas, a terrorist organization, an organization that is sworn to the destruction of Jews and Israelis around the world, that is very problematic," said Scott Richman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, demanding stronger language from Mamdani. "And he needs to be clear. He's the leader of this city, and he needs to be the leader for all Jews, for all residents of the city, and make it clear that this is unacceptable language."