NYC mayor sounds alarm over "radicalization of our children being taught to hate America ... those of Jewish faith"

In Friday interview on 105.1 FM HD2 with Radio USA, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that “we have normalized antisemitism in a way that would not be tolerated if it were directed toward another group.”

Adams also aimed his criticism at the North American press, saying that there has been “acceptance even in some of our main media outlets.” For Adams, this has been a consequence of an attempt to minimize the anti-Semitism that is being experienced on university campuses.

The NYC metropolitan mayor said, “We’re witnessing a rise in hate across the globe in general, but specifically after October 7th, we witnessed a sharp increase in antisemitism, and we're clear that New York City has no room for hate. If it's antisemitism, anti-Sikhism, Islamophobia, anti-African Americans, no matter what the group, we must remain consistent.”

He was also emphatic in stating his concerns about the normalization of hatred toward Jewish Americans.

“We would not tolerate any other group being called for the destruction of that group or using very hateful terminologies in that group. We would not stand for that, and I'm seeing a normalization of antisemitism in New York as well as across the globe, particularly through social media, and I think there's a level of tolerance that has been acceptance even in some of our major media to attempt not to point out that what happened on our college campuses is not antisemitism,” he said.

“I don't know how you could define it as not. And I think that's really a precursor for the anti-Americanism. There's a radicalization of our children, where there's being taught to hate America and hate those of Jewish faith as well, and we need to stop that.”

For Adams, the American nation is experiencing “a radicalization of our children, where they are taught to hate the United States and to also hate those of the Jewish faith, and we need to stop that.”

Adams said he dislikes “the call to destroy Israel” or “the call to destroy America,” but is determined to not let activists pressure the city into a trap in which it suppresses the First Amendment.

“I have a role as the mayor, number one, it's imperative in our country the right to protest, the right. We can never get in the way of individuals who want to peacefully protest. I may not like the call to destroy Israel. I may not like the call to destroy America, but that is constitutionally protected. What's not constitutionally protected is you're not going to destroy property, you're not going to spit at police officers and throw dangerous items at them, and you're not going to assault innocent people.

Adams said the city is prepared to continue to address the ongoing protests—adding that there have been at least 2,000 so far.

“We're going to take the proper action when that takes place, and I think the Police Department has done that. We had over 2,000 protests in our city when we got the authorization from the schools to move into the colleges, we moved in quickly and addressed the situation immediately, and we're going to continue to do that to make sure we monitor the situation.”