Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, I witnessed pro-Palestinian radicals descend upon Midtown Manhattan to commemorate one of the darkest days in recent history: The Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas terrorists.
It was such a disgusting spectacle on so many levels: masked thugs parading up Sixth Avenue, chanting the antisemitic slogan “From the river to the sea” and “Israel does not exist,” terrorizing people as they left work.
Hundreds of protesters literally stopped traffic in the middle of rush hour so we could hear their warped version of history.
The demo should provide a wake-up call to the city’s political class including its business leaders ahead of next month’s mayoral election, which is set to bring even more appalling behavior.
The fact that they remain largely asleep makes the situation New Yorkers face all the more horrifying.
It must be noted that the protest necessitated a large police presence that diligently prevented an all-out riot given the volatile nature of the crowd.
That night, I was scheduled to attend a concert at Carnegie Hall.
As I made my way uptown, dodging a series of near brawls between various factions of protesters, I struck up a conversation with a police officer and asked a question all New Yorkers should be asking themselves: “How is any of this legal?”
City Hall is currently occupied by an ex-cop named Eric Adams, though not for much longer.
He just dropped out of the upcoming mayoral race because his manifold ethical lapses made him unelectable even if he’s done a decent job reducing crime.
I say “decent” because the quality of life in this city remains abysmal; the subways remain unsafe; and homelessness rages on our streets.
The reason the cops allowed that disgustingly nihilistic Oct. 7 protest stems from Adams’ crazy interpretation of the state constitution’s guarantees for the right of assembly.
During the Giuliani years, you needed a permit and were relegated to designated areas.
When the leftist Bill de Blasio became mayor, the First Amendment and the state constitution’s speech protections meant anything goes, even if it means chanting “From the river to the sea” on Sixth Avenue.
Grim outlook
And it’s only going to get worse, which is something our city’s leadership class needs to understand — and fast.
Along with his ethical woes, Adams quit the campaign to consolidate support around a more moderate candidate for mayor and prevent the Israel-hating, avowed Marxist Zohran Mamdani from occupying City Hall after the Nov. 4 ballot.
This week, Adams will likely endorse for mayor his fellow “moderate,” former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, though it will likely make almost no impact — and not just because Cuomo brings his own baggage.
The race is a three-way competition with the beret-wearing Guardian Angels founder, Republican Curtis Sliwa, sucking up around 15% of the vote, according to the latest polling.
That leaves Mamdani comfortably ahead in this increasingly leftist Democratic city, polling at 46% to Cuomo’s 33%.
You would think that with less than a month before Election Day, Cuomo and Sliwa would come out swinging against the kooky communist frontrunner.
They do throw some jabs at him, but their attacks feel strangely muted.
Where is their five-point plan to revive the economy while showing how a leftist like Mamdani will destroy what business is left through high taxes and defunding the police?
And why didn’t either come out and say that NYC’s latest death-cult protest — something an anti-Zionist like Mamdani undoubtedly celebrated — would never happen under their watch?
And where is the business community and its chief organizer, Kathy Wylde of the Partnership for New York City, screaming “Enough!”
They should be prodding Cuomo and Sliwa to get on the ball because of all that’s at stake.
This city has a long history of ethnic parades, of course.
They’re organized around pride like the one on Monday celebrating the great, though much maligned, explorer Christopher Columbus.
This was different.
Why are the cops allowing thugs to upend all forms of civility while they violently cheer wanton rape and murder?
“You’re going to have to ask the city about that,” the cop responded before we shook hands and parted ways.
Far left vision
Mamdani, of course, hasn’t been muted about his vision: business-destroying taxes, leftist views on policing and the rest.
But at least he’s willing to fight for what he believes in and, barring something unforeseen, he’s going to be our next mayor.
I managed to make my event at Carnegie Hall, a grand venue that speaks volumes about our great city, the wealth it created and the wealth creators who give back by funding the arts.
Still, I couldn’t help but think while mingling with all those bankers and lawyers in attendance — no doubt, all members of the Partnership for New York City — how little they understand what’s about to happen to Gotham — and their responsibility for allowing it to occur.
