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The director of the Brooklyn Museum and several of its Jewish board members have been targeted in an anti-Semitic attack by pro-Palestine vandals.
Director Anne Pasternak’s building was sprayed with red paint and a sign calling her a ‘white-supremacist Zionist’ was put up overnight.
The vandals also wrote ‘blood on your hands’ in red paint on the floor and put a red inverted triangle on the front door – a symbol that’s been used by Hamas to identify military targets.
It comes less than two weeks after a pro-Palestinian organization named Within Our Lifetime urged demonstrators to ‘flood Brooklyn Museum for Gaza.’
The group said it was occupying the museum to compel it to disclose any Israel-related investments and to divest any such funding. They did not specify how specifically the museum was connected to the war in Gaza.
The Brooklyn Heights coop apartment building of museum director Anne Pasternak was vandalized with red paint and a sign calling her a ‘white-supremacist Zionist’
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander shared images of the building and said: ‘The cowards who did this are way over the line into antisemitism, harming the cause they claim to care about, and making everyone less safe.’
Police sources told NBC New York that officials are lookin for about 15 suspects, who were last seen in the Upper East Side in Manhattan in a white U-Haul truck.
Mayor Eric Adams said on X: ‘This is not peaceful protest or free speech. This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason.
‘I’m sorry to Anne Pasternak and members of @brooklynmuseum’s board who woke up to hatred like this. I spoke to Anne this morning and committed that this hate will not stand in our city.
‘The NYPD is investigating and will bring the criminals responsible here to justice.’
The vandals also wrote ‘blood on your hands’ in red paint on the floor and put a red inverted triangle on the front door – a symbol that’s been used by Hamas to identify military targets
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander shared images of the building and said: ‘The cowards who did this are way over the line into antisemitism.’ Museum director Anne Pasternak is pictured
Several New York lawmakers have also spoken up about the vandalism against Pasternak and others.
Democratic Brooklyn councilman Lincoln Restler said: ‘Disgusting & horrible incident of vandalism happened over night in Brooklyn Heights & other locations affiliated with Bk Museum. This anti-Semitic incident is despicable.’
And governor Kathy Hochul said, ‘This is an abhorrent act of antisemitism and it has no place in New York or anywhere else.
‘We stand with the Jewish community in the face of hate and will continue to fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.’
The Brooklyn Museum said it was: ‘deeply troubled by these horrible acts.’
On May 31, pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police.
On May 31, pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police
A a pro-Palestinian organization named Within Our Lifetime urged demonstrators to ‘flood Brooklyn Museum for Gaza’
The art museum said it closed an hour early because of the disruption, including skirmishes between police and protesters that took place inside and outside the building.
Some 34 people were detained at the scene but no charges were filed.
A demonstration continued outside the museum hours after the initial confrontation, but the spokesperson could not say whether any protesters remained inside.
One of the arrests was of a man who defaced an outdoor sculpture with graffiti, a Reuters witness said.
Several protesters scrawled messages on the OY/YO sculpture on the plaza outside the entrance.
A banner was hung from atop the neoclassical façade proclaiming, ‘Free Palestine, Divest From Genocide.’
Some 34 people were arrested at the protest at the museum last month
‘There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza,’ a museum spokesperson said
‘There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza,’ a museum spokesperson said .
‘Protesters entered the building, and our public safety staff were physically and verbally harassed.
‘Out of a concern for the building, our collections, and our staff, the decision was made to close the building an hour early,’ and the public was asked to vacate peacefully, the statement said.
Demonstrations against the war in Gaza have continued in the United States, largely on college campuses.
The Israeli-Palestinian war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people.
Palestinian health authorities, under the control of Hamas, estimate more than 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel responded.
The US government’s role in supporting Israel is in the war has become a hot issue as the presidential election in November nears.
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