Police departments in the New York area said that they will be stepping up their presence this weekend after social media posts circulating online referenced a supposed “National Day of Hate” against Jewish groups.
The NYPD said there would be “additional resources” at certain sensitive locations like houses of worship throughout the weekend, after the online posts indicated there would be forms of protests on Saturday. The department added that there were no specific, identified threats to NYC, but the increase in resources would be done in an abundance of caution.
“We urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant, and if you see anything suspicious, please call 1-888–NYC-SAFE,” a police spokesperson said.
Police in Lakewood, New Jersey, also said that there had not been any “credible information to suggest that these threats will impact New Jersey,” but said they would be increasing the number of on-duty officers in marked and unmarked cars anyway, to ensure residents’ safety.
The social media posts had been shared by antisemitic groups, and the supposed planned protests were intended to target Jewish communities, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The potential threat for protests and violence comes after a group of neo-Nazis harassed theatergoers as they were lined up ahead of a showing of “Parade” on Broadway Tuesday night. A member of the audience posted a video the hate-filled demonstration outside the Bernard Jacobs Theater on West 45th Street and described the moments of fear. Another person who tried to video the protesters reportedly had their phone yanked away and thrown on to the street.
Those who demonstrated yelled, carried banners and handed out fliers that claim the show glorifies pedophilia.
The protesters were targeting “Parade,” a musical revival about the true story of Leo Frank — a Jewish man lynched in 1915 after he was wrongfully convicted for the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl. Later legal review confirmed that Frank had been wrongfully charged.
“The irony should not be lost on anyone that these antisemitic extremists decided to protest a play that details the true story of the lynching of an innocent Jewish man by an antisemitic mob and used it as an opportunity to spread conspiracy theories and hate,” the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement.
For one person in the audience, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, the protesters gave her even more reason to support the production.
“I was going to get them anyway but it’s also my form of protest to say you don’t get to push me out of my own country,” said Nina Mogilnik. “It’s a hard thing to digest.”
Tony Award winner Ben Platt stars in the production and said in a video shared on Instagram “it was definitely very ugly and scary but a wonderful reminder of why we are telling this story and how powerful art and theater can be.”
Producers of the show went on to say that “if there is any remaining doubt out there about the urgency of telling this story in this moment in history, the vileness on display (Tuesday night) should put it to rest.”
Restaurants on City Island are standing up to hate after someone mailed racist and antisemitic fliers. News 4’s Chris Jose reports.
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