NYC councilwoman calls protesting students ‘monsters’ and says it’s ‘our job to slay them’
Campus Protests Then and Now
A New York City Council Member called to “slay” student demonstrators after hundreds were arrested in the city while protesting the ongoing war in Gaza.
Vickie Paladino, an elected official representing part of Queens, wrote on X on Friday: “The NYPD confirms that 99% of arrests at NYU were indeed students, not ‘outside agitators’.”
“The sad reality is that our schools are producing monsters, and it’s now our job to slay them. Simple as that,” she continued. “And the schools and faculty who sit at the top of this chaos must be razed along with them.”
Ms Paladino’s call for violence came after police broke up the largely peaceful student protests at numerous campuses across New York City this week. The spotlight has mostly focused on the protests at Columbia, where Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD police officials have pushed claims that “outside agitators” have “radicalized” students.
Columbia faculty members have rejected these assertions from Mr Adams and the police, and many professors have recently expressed support for the student protestors.
Ms Paladino continued, “They’re not interested in solutions, as their literature makes crystal clear. It’s going to be messy, but it’s also going to be worth it. They’re leaving us with no choice though.”
The city council member seemed to be referring to another dubious claim made by police. NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said on Newsmax that authorities recovered a “book on terrorism” at a Columbia academic building, which he showed the camera.
In reality, he was displaying a textbook written by an esteemed British historian. (Mr Daughtry’s claim has since sparked online outrage and ridicule.)
Ms Paladino’s disturbing post prompted some X users to call for her resignation.
The Independent has reached out to the New York City Council for comment on Ms Paladino’s remarks.
The city council member has made her views clear about the protesters.
In a separate post, at 2am on Saturday, Ms Paladino responded to a video posted on X about delays on the subway due to “pro-Palestinian protesters” who were “having a rally in the railcars.”
The city council member replied to the video: “The worst people our society has ever produced.”
Her comments come as protests against the war have erupted at universities in New York and across the country. Most demonstrators are calling for their colleges to divest from Israel as the country continues to wage war in Gaza. Hundreds in New York City alone have been arrested as university presidents have asked the NYPD for help dismantling encampments.
More than 34,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israel’s offensive, which came after October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 people hostage.
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