Office of the Brooklyn Rep. Dan Goldman was defaced Thursday night with pro-Palestinian graffiti that read “Blood on ur [sic] hands,” “free Palestine,” and “let Gaza live.”
The slogans were painted by at least two suspects on the facade of the Jewish Democratic Park Slope district office building and on the sidewalk in front, photos on social media showed.
“What is this [Rep. Goldman] & staff face off as they show up to work today,” tweeted a Brooklyn Democratic Party official, Doug Schneider, who shared the photo.
“It is a direct result of him speaking out against anti-Semitism & supporting Israel’s right to defend itself. Dissecting him is not a form of protest, it is a sad crime.”
NYPD officers were already on the scene when the first Goldman staffers arrived at the building at about 8:50 a.m. Friday, a spokesman for the lawmaker told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The building’s security cameras caught at least two people vandalizing the building, but the perpetrators covered the cameras with plastic bags, making the images unclear, Goldman’s office told the outlet.
“Our office is accessible 24/7 by appointment, phone, social media, email or mail, and our exceptional constituent service team works around the clock to respond to outreach. Harassing, intimidating, and openly attacking the staff of a Jewish elected official at a time of heightened violence and rampant antisemitism is dangerous and unacceptable.” Simone Kanter, the lawmaker’s director of communications, told The Post in a statement.
“Harassing, intimidating, and openly attacking the staff of Jewish elected officials at a time of heightened violence and rampant antisemitism is dangerous and unacceptable,” Goldman spokesman Douglas M. Schneider/X said.
Members of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation condemned the vandalism on Friday and urged protesters not to let “disagreements turn us against each other and fuel violence here at home.”
“We stand together to condemn the vandalism discovered this morning that targeted Representative Dan Goldman’s district office. While everyone has a first amendment right to peacefully protest and make their voice heard, that should not extend to intimidating staff or outright criminal behavior,” Reps Jerry Nadler, Jamaal Bowman, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Hakeem Jeffries, Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Joseph Morelle, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pat Ryan, Paul Tonko, Ritchie Torres and Nydia Velazquez said in a joint statement.
“This is a deeply personal and emotional issue for all who care about the future of peace for both Israelis and Palestinians, but we must not let our disagreements turn us against each other and fuel violence here at home,” they added. .
Goldman, who is Jewish, was in Israel at the time of the October 7 terrorist attacks. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
Goldman, who was in Israel when Hamas terrorists stormed the Jewish state’s border with Gaza on October 7 and killed 1,200 people, has been a supporter of Israel’s war on the terror group.
“Israel has an absolute right – indeed a moral obligation – to defend its people and its borders in response to the horrific terrorist attacks of Hamas,” he wrote in a joint statement with Nadler after the attack.
Earlier this week, Goldman took part in a rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and calling for an end to antisemitism.
New York Democrats have too condemning violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and has demanded that Israel take steps to protect innocent Palestinians in Gaza as it wages war.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/