Pols condemn ‘Hamas’ chants at Queens protest

New York officials are condemning pro-Hamas chants used at a protest in Queens on Thursday.  Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach

By Ryan Schwach

New York officials condemned chants in praise of Hamas used by pro-Palestinian protesters in Kew Gardens Hills on Thursday night outside a Queens synagogue.

The protestors, who were there to object to a conversation about real estate sales in Israel and in the West Bank, said in a chant that they supported Hamas, the terror group behind the Oct. 7 attacks.

The chant, which went viral on social media, drew widespread condemnation from elected officials across New York.

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

Hochul was joined in condemning the chants by a host of other elected officials including Representative Grace Meng, former Comptroller Brad Lander and Borough President Donovan Richards.

“Targeting our Jewish neighbors here in Queens is unacceptable, full stop,” Richards said. “Hate has no place in the most diverse county in our city, and we will not normalize it. We will fight it wherever it shows up.”

At least one of the videos depicting the scene outside of the Kew Gardens Hills synagogue was posted by Assemblymember Sam Berger, who was present at the protest for its entirety.

Berger, who ahead of the protests told the Eagle he hoped it stayed civil, which it mostly did, called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to condemn the comments made by the pro-Palestinain protestors.

“Last night, a peaceful residential neighborhood in Queens was subjected to chants and slogans openly supporting Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization,” said Berger. “Families, children, and residents who had nothing to do with the demonstration were forced to endure intimidation and extremist rhetoric on their own block simply because they live in a Jewish neighborhood.”

Mamdani later condemned the comments made by protestors saying the pro-Hamas comments "has no place in New York City,” and then later also articulated his disagreement with the sale of lands that was the nature of the protest.

The few dozen pro-Palestinian protestors were met with a slightly smaller group of pro-Israeli counter-protesters.

Both groups made disparaging comments toward the other at various points during the nearly three-hour protest.

The protest and counter-protests were met with a significant NYPD presence, who for the most part kept the two groups separated and at a distance.

Tensions were at their highest when a large group of younger locals turned up and harassed both pro-Palestinian protestors and police.

No injuries were reported and no arrests were made.