The director of the Brooklyn Museum and several of its Jewish board members have been the target of an anti-Semitic attack by pro-Palestinian vandals.
Director Anne Pasternak’s building was sprayed with red paint and a sign calling her a “white supremacist Zionist” was posted overnight.
The vandals also wrote “blood on your hands” in red paint on the ground and put a red inverted triangle on the front door, a symbol Hamas has used to identify military targets.
It comes less than two weeks after a pro-Palestinian organization called Within Our Lifetime urged protesters to “flood the Brooklyn Museum for Gaza.”
The group said it was occupying the museum to force it to disclose any investments related to Israel and to divest such funding. They did not specify how specifically the museum was related to the war in Gaza.
Museum director Anne Pasternak’s Brooklyn Heights cooperative apartment building was vandalized with red paint and a sign calling her a “white supremacist Zionist.”
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander shared images of the building and said, “The cowards who did this are falling far short of the line of anti-Semitism, harming the cause they claim to care about and making everyone less safe.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC New York that officials are searching for about 15 suspects, who were last seen on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in a white U-Haul truck.
Mayor Eric Adams said on X: ‘This is not a peaceful protest or free speech. This is a crime and is open and unacceptable anti-Semitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason.
‘I feel sorry for Anne Pasternak and the @brooklynmuseum board members who woke up to hate like this. I spoke with Anne this morning and pledged that this hatred will not persist in our city.
“The NYPD is investigating and will bring the criminals responsible to justice.”
The vandals also wrote “blood on your hands” in red paint on the ground and put a red inverted triangle on the front door, a symbol Hamas has used to identify military targets.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander shared images of the building and said, “The cowards who did this are far from the line of anti-Semitism.” In the photo, the museum’s director, Anne Pasternak.
Several New York lawmakers have also spoken out about the vandalism against Pasternak and others.
Democratic Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler said, “A disgusting and horrific incident of vandalism occurred overnight in Brooklyn Heights and other locations affiliated with the Bk Museum. This anti-Semitic incident is despicable.”
And Governor Kathy Hochul said, ‘This is an abhorrent act of anti-Semitism and has no place in New York or anywhere else.’
“We stand with the Jewish community against hate and will continue to fight anti-Semitism wherever it appears.”
The Brooklyn Museum said it was “deeply troubled by these horrific acts.”
On May 31, pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner over the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby, and clashed with police.
On May 31, pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner over the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby, and clashing with police.
A pro-Palestinian organization called Within Our Lifetime urged protesters to “flood the Brooklyn Museum for Gaza”
The art museum said it closed an hour early because of unrest, including skirmishes between police and protesters that took place inside and outside the building.
About 34 people were arrested at the scene but no charges were filed.
A demonstration continued outside the museum hours after the initial confrontation, but the spokesman could not say whether protesters remained inside.
One of the arrests was of a man who defaced an outdoor sculpture with graffiti, a Reuters witness said.
Several protesters scrawled messages on the OY/YO sculpture in the plaza in front of the entrance.
High above the neoclassical façade hung a banner proclaiming: “Free Palestine, get rid of genocide.”
Some 34 people were arrested in the protest at the museum last month.
“There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork in our plaza,” a museum spokesperson said.
“There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork in our plaza,” a museum spokesperson said.
‘Protesters entered the building and our public security personnel were physically and verbally harassed.
“Out of concern for the building, our collections and our staff, the decision was made to close the building an hour early” and the public was asked to leave peacefully, according to the statement.
Demonstrations against the war in Gaza have continued in the United States, mainly on college campuses.
The Palestinian-Israeli war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people.
Palestinian health authorities, under Hamas control, estimate that more than 36,280 people have died in Gaza since Israel responded.
The US government’s role in supporting Israel in the war has become a hot topic as the November presidential election approaches.
