'Rapist,' 'Pedophile,' 'Zionist Trash': Pro-Terror Symbols, Clashes With Police, and Hateful Rhetoric Punctuate Protest at Park East Synagogue

The second major anti-Israel protest at Park East Synagogue in New York City in less than a year featured a Hezbollah flag, signs equating Zionism with Nazism and terrorism, and stickers depicting a swastika inside a Star of David.

The crowd protesting “The Great Israeli Real Estate Event 2026” grew to hundreds as the evening went on. There were significant clashes between protesters and law enforcement; one officer was hospitalized and police used pepper-spray.

Based on footage from the protest reviewed by ADL analysts, protest chants included, "We will honor all our martyrs; all our brave freedom fighters”; “Death, death to the IDF”; and “Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone.” Some shouted “Baby killer,” “Pedophile,” “Rapist,” and “Zionist trash” at passersby. 

Other chants identified by ADL analysts included, “There is only one solution; Intifada, revolution”; “Long live the Intifada”; “Resistance is justified when people are occupied”; and “NYPD, KKK, IOF they’re all the same,” using an anti-Israel term that refers to the Israel Defense Forces as the Israel Occupation Forces. 

Like the January protest in Queens, PAL-Awda, one of the leading anti-Zionist organizations in the region, led the protest. The protest also drew participation and support from local Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters, CUNY for Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Muslim American Society (MAS), Neturei Karta (NK), Healthcare Workers for Palestine (HCW4P), Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), and others.

Individual protesters included those who have a history of harassing Jewish people, engaging in protests targeting Jewish institutions, and expressing open support for designated terror organizations and calling for the destruction of Israel.

The robust police protection at the protest, praised by many of the city’s Jewish leaders and decried by some protest attendees on social media, was not the direct result of recent buffer zone legislation overwhelmingly passed by the New York City Council on March 26, which will not take effect for several months. Just hours before demonstrators gathered at Park East Synagogue, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s spokesperson told a reporter for the anti-Israel outlet Dropsite News that the mayor was "deeply opposed" to the event, further inflaming tensions.

While the New York City Council overwhelmingly approved buffer zone legislation in March 2026 to protect New Yorkers from harassment and intimidation as they enter and exit houses of worship, it did not have Mayor Mamdani's support, and in April, he vetoed similar buffer zone legislation for schools. 

In November, then mayor-elect Mamdani publicly chastised Park East Synagogue for holding a real estate event that also drew ire and pro-terror rhetoric from anti-Israel protesters, saying through a spokesperson that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.” And when January’s protest featured explicit celebration of Hamas, the Mayor was slow to denounce it.

Monitoring and analysis by the ADL Center on Extremism since October 7, 2023, demonstrate that pro-terror expressions, support for Hamas, and the direct targeting of the Jewish community are entirely in line with broader trends in the U.S. anti-Israel movement.

There were 1,160 antisemitic incidents in New York in 2025, including 90 assaults, according to the 2025 ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. Over 200 incidents took place at Jewish institutions, highlighting the need for stronger protections. Since January, antisemitic hate crimes in New York City are up 182% compared to January 2025, according to NYPD data.