Espaillat, known for his vocal support of increased security funding for Jewish institutions and his defense of Jewish students facing harassment on college campuses, believes he was specifically targeted.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s pro-Israel stance has made him a marked man in New York City.
Early Tuesday morning, Espaillat’s office on West 181st Street was vandalized. According to police and the congressman, as many as four suspects used a hammer to bash the office’s front glass at 3am and scrawl “FREE GAZA” in black on the sidewalk outside.
“My staff and I walked into a mess this morning,” Espaillat told the NY Post. “Glass everywhere, paint dripping down the walls. It’s disheartening, to say the least.”
Espaillat, known for his vocal support of increased security funding for Jewish institutions and his defense of Jewish students facing harassment on college campuses, believes he was specifically targeted.
“My name was on a flier listing protest sites for yesterday,” he explained. “But instead of peaceful demonstration, we got this nighttime violence.”
Despite the unsettling nature of the attacks, Espaillat remains resolute. “We’re cleaning up and getting back to work,” he stated. “Our constituents need us, and we won’t be intimidated.”
This marks the second time that Espaillat’s Washington Heights office has been vandalized in less than a month, with the first coming in late September when vandals spray-painted “F— Israel,” “40k dead,” “genocide lover” and “terrorist” in red paint on the windows and entrance.
Both incidents are under investigation by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force, but no arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, a chorus of House representatives have risen to condemn the senseless hatred. Surprisingly, even anti-Israel squad members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman joined the call.
“Over the past month, the office of Congressman Adriano Espaillat has been attacked and vandalized several times,” they said in a joint statement signed by 12 other Democrats.
“This targeted vandalism puts constituents and congressional staffers alike in harm’s way, disrupting congressional operations and social services that constituents depend on.”
New York has seen its fair share of antisemitism post Oct. 7. Just yesterday, seven anti-Israel protesters were arrested at Manhattan demonstrations, including one man accused of kicking an NYPD captain in the chest.”