New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday night held a vigil for the victims of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel.
The vigil was held at Golda Meir Square in Midtown. Adams condemned the attack as “antisemitism at the highest level.”
“Yes, I stand with Israel. Yes, I stand with the Jewish people. But most importantly, I stand with humanity,” he said to roughly 100 attendees, according to the New York Daily News.
“That terrorist act that we saw cannot be defended anywhere on this globe. You cannot rationalize it,” Adams added.
The mayor also lit a memorial candle in honor of the victims.
In his remarks, Adams again denounced a pro-Palestinian Arab rally held Sunday in Time Square, where a protester flashed an image of a swastika on his cell phone.
“I am watching what is playing out across the country,” the mayor said. “I’m watching protests where people are carrying swastikas. … The same swastika symbols were used when African-Americans were attempting to fight for their freedom and their right to exist. This cuts across all lives.”
“All I can say to you as a New Yorker and mayor of our city of diversity, it is a painful day,” he added.
At least 11 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel, as confirmed on Monday by President Joe Biden.