Adams deploys additional NYPD officers after former Hamas leader calls for protests

Mayor Eric Adams is ordering additional NYPD officers to patrol schools, houses of worship and certain neighborhoods in anticipation of protests on Friday related to the intensifying war between Israel and Hamas that has already killed thousands of civilians.

Worries about potential unrest or violence in New York City increased Thursday after a former Hamas leader called for worldwide demonstrations in support of Palestinians. Scattered acts of aggression against Jewish New Yorkers and Muslims have also put the city on edge, prompting the mayor to join with Gov. Kathy Hochul, the NYPD and other officials to stress to the public there were no credible threats against the city.

“The city will do whatever it takes to keep our people safe,” Adams said during the virtual news conference with reporters on Thursday.

Hochul said she was directing state police to work with the NYPD on providing security around an array of locations, including synagogues and cultural institutions. She said she had also asked the National Guard to patrol key transportation hubs.

Despite ordering a surge in police presence, the governor urged New Yorkers to go about their normal lives.

“I want all New Yorkers to feel confident going into a synagogue or going to school, walking through the streets of New York and throughout our state over the next few days,” she said.

The governor was criticized earlier in the day by some progressives for declining to express any support for the city’s Palestinian community. During the briefing, she appeared to respond to those criticisms, saying she had “zero tolerance for hate directed towards Palestinian New Yorkers, a community that is also cherished and respected in our state.”

NYPD Chief John Chell said that every member of the department will be in uniform and ready to respond if they're needed. Police, he added, have been monitoring various events all week.

“We will not tolerate any hate, any acts of disorder, it'll be quelled quickly and we will be ready," he said.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said there were no credible threats of violence. Nevertheless, he said his office was in regular contact with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement officials.

“Law enforcement will continue to patrol sensitive areas – particularly houses of worship for both the Jewish and Islamic faiths, large gathering places, and our schools and other educational institutions – to ensure that everyone feels safe and secure in their communities,” Murphy said in a statement. “Law enforcement will be taking other steps – some that will be noticeable and others that may be taken out of view – and all out of an abundance of caution.”

On Friday, an Israel student at Columbia University was attacked on campus in a possible hate crime, according to police. The day before, a Palestinian man in Brooklyn was allegedly punched and kicked by men waving Israeli flags.