MONSEY – Governor Andrew Cuomo called Saturday night’s attack on attendees at a Hanukkah party in Monsey “domestic terrorism.”
The governor met with Jewish faith leaders in Monsey on Sunday morning and said the attack was “hate and violence,” he said following the private session. “It is an American cancer that is spreading in the body politic; an American cancer turns one cell in the body against the other,” he said. “Once we become intolerant of differences, then are intolerant with America because America is all about differences. We are all from someplace else and we were founded on the premise of tolerance for the differences.”
The attack was not an isolated incident, Cuomo said. “We have had 13 acts of anti-Semitism since December 8th in New York State. I’d like to say it’s only those 13. The truth is we’ve had incidents all across the state against the LGBTQ community, against the African-American community, the Latino community.”
And he said it is not just in New York State. “This is a national phenomenon that we are seeing. It is frightening and disturbing. If anyone thinks that something poisonous is not going on in this country, then they are in denial frankly. How many incidents do you have to see from coast to coast?” he said.
The governor said he would introduce legislation making domestic violence a crime in New York.
