Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: Good evening. My name is Fabien Levy, and I'm deputy mayor for Communications for the City of New York. This is been a difficult week for all of us, for our city, for our state and for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East. But while the attacks we witnessed in Israel last weekend have shaken our conscience they have not shaken our resolve: we will not be intimidated.
And here in New York, neither our city nor our state will tolerate any form of bigotry, whether it be antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other kind of hate or discrimination. We are working closely with law enforcement officers, our state partners and other cities across the country to monitor for potential threats and keep people safe.
In anticipation of today's day of resistance that has been widely promoted in social media, the city has already had multiple meetings and calls with different Jewish and Muslim groups across the five boroughs throughout the day. But we wanted to speak to all New Yorkers about the actions the city and the state are taking to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.
To keep you informed about these efforts, we are joined today by New York City Mayor Eric Adams; New York Governor Kathy Hochul; First we will hear from Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. And I want I want to thank the governor for really her leadership and partnership as we ensure that all New York State residents are safe, and we're going to continue to coordinate together. We know the entire world is horrified by the attacks the terrorist organization Hamas has made on our brothers and sisters in Israel, and we are deeply disturbed by the message of hate urging violence in other communities in this region and around the world. It is not acceptable.
I want every New Yorker, especially our Jewish New Yorkers and other groups to know there are currently no credible or specific threats against our city. But with large‑scale protests planned for tomorrow, we must remain vigilant. New York City is the most diverse city in the world, and protecting our residents is the most sacred responsibility that we have. We have directed the NYPD to surge additional resources to schools and houses of worship to ensure that they are safe and that our city remains a place of peace.
We're also stepping up NYPD patrols in other key neighborhoods to help protect all of our city residents. New York City will do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; an if New Yorkers see something, we're saying to you, do something by reaching out to your local authorities. New York City rejects terrorism. We reject hate. We stand united. And we mourn the innocent lives taken in these attacks. Let us pray for the safe return of those captured and for all those on both sides suffering the horrors of wars. We will be united together. And again, I want to thank this team and I want to thank the governor of the State of New York for her leadership at this moment. Thank you.
Deputy Mayor Levy: Thank you, mayor. Next, we'll hear from Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul: Thank you, Mayor Adams; and once again, the two of us have been strong partners as we work to protect the public safety of all New Yorkers. And this past week has been one of unimaginable heartbreak. These attacks on innocent civilians — babies, children, grandmothers — have now unleashed a spiral of violence. We all watched in horror and anguish as we saw so many of our own residents affected deeply, some of whom are over there still in harm's way. And it's a fear even within our city limits and our state that people never experienced, expected to feel again so soon.
And I agree with the mayor: reports that Hamas has called for a day of action calls for us together to address the concerns of New Yorkers as you receive this information. And I'm proud to work with you, mayor, and our Commissioner Caban as we update New Yorkers. What we first want to emphasize, something that is simple and it's non-negotiable: that the safety of New York's Jewish communities is not up for debate. We will stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends and neighbors today, tomorrow and every day. There is no call to violence that will shake that conviction, and there's no evil we are unwilling to confront.
Before I discuss the security measures we're adopting in the State of New York tomorrow, let me tell you what we've done briefly already to protect the citizens of our state. Immediately following the attacks on Israel Saturday morning, we directed the state police to work with local law enforcement, especially here with the NYPD, to up our local patrols and outreach. Yeshivas, synagogues, museums, cultural institutions — places that were deemed vulnerable in the city and throughout the state — constant communication with our federal partners, state intelligence experts as we monitor any potential security threats.
I physically visited our New York State Intelligence Center in Albany to get an in‑person briefing. Speaking regularly with the White House; and in fact, I have a call momentarily with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State for the latest updates. And as the mayor has been doing, outreach to our community groups, religious organizations, the Muslim community, the Jewish community and also responding to any credible threats.
But we all have to be clear: there is currently no intelligence showing any active threats in New York — that is, the entire state of New York.
But in a moment fraught like this, we will continue to exercise elevated vigilance and impose measures to deter any potential violence.
Let's talk about what we're planning to do in response to tomorrow's elevated threat. We fully activated our Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Counterterrorism. State police have been fully activated, we have a strong presence throughout the state as well as here in the city. We're prepared to support NYPD at our Joint Operations Center; and if we need them, we have the resources of the New York National Guard and our Joint Task Force Empire Shield ready to be activated.
The National Guard is already directed to patrol key transportation hubs. We've been in contact with the MTA, the Port Authority to ensure that they also have heightened their security measures. Our Hate Crime Task Force is on high alert, it will help investigate disturbing incidents as necessary.
We want to reiterate to New Yorkers: there's no reason to feel afraid. No one should feel they have to alter their normal lives or their routines; and indeed when we change our behavior without a serious credible threat, then we're letting the terrorists win. I want all New Yorkers to feel confident going to a synagogue, going to school, walking to the streets of New York and throughout our state over the next few days.
And those who seek to use Hamas as just...violence as justification for violence of their own, we have no tolerance for your hate. I condemn violence of every kind in New York. I want to be clear. When I say "every kind," that's exactly what I mean. I am outraged at reports of violence or threats against Jewish New Yorkers, including a reported incident where an Israeli student was assaulted on their very own college campus. And I have zero tolerance for hate directed towards Palestinian New Yorkers, a community that is also cherished and respected in our state. Last night's reported attack in Brooklyn of a Palestinian New Yorker is also completely unacceptable and reprehensible.
Public safety will always be my top priority. My commitment is to keeping New Yorkers safe. That is unwavering; and again, mayor, so proud to team up with you once again. We have the finest working with us. I thank your team, I thank my state team.
No comments:
Post a Comment