New York - A group of young individuals were captured on camera at New York University's campus, tearing down posters depicting hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The incident has ignited a strong reaction on social media, with calls for the university to take action against those responsible.
Videos circulating on social media show three individuals outside NYU's Tisch Hall dismantling numerous posters. These posters had been distributed across New York City to draw attention to individuals who have been abducted since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.
In the footage, no one intervenes to stop the group from removing the posters. However, an observer's voice can be heard describing the aftermath as "terrible, terrible, terrible."
Various videos and social media posts, including one shared by the NYU chapter of Students Supporting Israel, identify the individuals as students.
The Students Supporting Israel NYU Chapter stated, "Today, we witnessed 2 NYU students violently tearing down posters of kidnapped babies, mothers, and grandmothers hanging outside of NYU Buildings. This was done in a laughing manner, exhibiting complete disregard for Jewish lives and Jewish safety."
The grassroots movement group is actively working to identify those involved.
As of now, NYU has not responded to The Post's request for comment.
An Instagram post featuring the images and videos, garnering nearly 11,000 likes within a day, urged NYU to "hold these cowards accountable."
Appalled social media users swiftly called for the expulsion of the students responsible.
"There needs to be accountability for this level of blatant hatred," one person emphasized 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 individual pointed out.
Critics also directed their ire at NYU for what they perceived as a lack of support for its Jewish student body. Some expressed hope that the images would be shared with the offenders' future employers.
Across New York City, red and white posters bearing the word "KIDNAPPED" in capital letters have been affixed, drawing attention to over 200 individuals held hostage by Hamas. Additionally, posters featuring the faces of missing Israeli individuals have been subjected to vandalism.
Stop Antisemitism, a nonprofit organization, shared an image from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, displaying posters that were defaced on 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 reported.
Since the onset of the conflict, at least 30 US citizens have lost their lives, while another 13 remain unaccounted for.
The toll stands at a minimum of 1,400 people in Israel and 2,808 in Gaza since Hamas launched its surprise assault on October 7th, prompting Israel's military to prepare for an anticipated "integrated and coordinated attack from air, sea and land" in response.
As the conflict enters its tenth day, President Biden is slated to visit Israel on Wednesday. His visit coincides with the Israel Defense Forces' preparations to enter Gaza to dismantle Hamas.