Three people — believed to be NYU students — were caught on camera on campus tearing down posters of hostages in the Israel-Hamas war, prompting social media outcry and calls for the university to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The trio can be seen outside NYU’s Tisch Hall in videos circulating on social media ripping down dozens of posters, which have been plastered across the Big Apple to shine a light on those who have been kidnapped since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
No one stops the group from ripping down the posters, but afterward, an onlooker can be heard on video calling the aftermath “terrible, terrible, terrible.”
Videos and social media posts, including one shared by the Students Supporting Israel NYU Chapter, identify the individuals as students.
“Today, we witnessed 2 NYU students violently tearing down posters of kidnapped babies, mothers, and grandmothers hanging outside of NYU Buildings,” the group wrote on X.
“This was done in a laughing manner, exhibiting complete disregard for Jewish lives and Jewish safety,” SSI NYU added.
The group, which describes itself on its social media as a “grassroots movement,” said it is working to identify the trio involved.
NYU said in a statement that it was looking into the matter.
“The University takes this matter seriously, and we are looking into it,” spokesman John Beckman told The Post.
An Instagram post sharing the images and videos, which gained nearly 11,000 likes in a day, urged NYU to “hold these cowards accountable.”
Shocked social media users were quick to demand the university expel the students involved.
“There needs to be accountability for this level of blatant hatred,” one person wrote on Instagram.
“I don’t get it. They could spend their time elevating innocent Gazan voices and instead, they think ripping down photos of missing children is ‘activism,'” another person noted.
Other commentators slammed NYU for not standing up for its Jewish students, while others expressed their hope that the photos be shared with the offenders’ future employers.
Red and white posters with the word “KIDNAPPED” written in all caps across the top have been plastered across New York City, as over 200 people have been taken hostage by Hamas, and about 50 more kidnapping victims being held by other “resistance factions and in other places,” Hamas military officials said Monday.
Similarly, other posters featuring the faces of missing Israeli children and adults placed across the city have also fallen victim to vandalization.
Stop Antisemitism, a nonprofit, shared a photo taken in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, of posters that were vandalized Monday night.
“Posters for the 199 kidnapped Israelis (including Americans) by Hamas terrorists into Gaza were vandalized last night with graffiti spelling out ‘apartheid’ — a letter on each poster,” the organization wrote.
At least 30 US citizens have been killed since the conflict broke out, while another 13 remain missing.
At least 1,400 people in Israel and 2,808 in Gaza have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, prompting Israel’s military to prepare an anticipated “integrated and coordinated attack from air, sea and land” in response.
As the war enters its 10th day, President Biden is set to visit Israel on Wednesday. His trip comes as the Israel Defense Forces prepares to invade Gaza to clear out Hamas.
