New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed outrage on Tuesday after anti-Israel protesters defaced a World War I memorial in Central Park. The monument, depicting the 107th United States Infantry in battle, was vandalized with pro-Palestinian stickers, spray-painted with “Free Gaza,” and had the American flag burned at the site.
Adams, whose uncle died serving in Vietnam, offered $5,000 of his own money to catch the vandals, with NYPD Crime Stoppers adding another $10,000 as a reward. The mayor vowed to treat the crime with the seriousness it deserves, stating, “I will not stand by while people desecrate memorials for those who fought for democracy and human rights.”
Video footage showed anti-Israel supporters placing a flag on the statue and using spray paint to advocate for Palestinians in Gaza. The memorial is unique as it honors the Doughboys, troops under Army Gen. John Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces, rather than high-ranking military officials.
Sen. Tom Cotton condemned the act, stating that the vandals committed felony violations of the Veterans’ Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act. New York City Councilor Vickie Paladino praised a friend who cleared the site of “Hamas propaganda” and planted American flags.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars supported the right to freedom of speech but emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law. In a separate incident, protesters also placed a Palestinian flag on a statue honoring Union Army Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman near Central Park, prompting NYPD officers to intervene and seek three suspects for the alleged vandalism.