New York Governor Kathy Hochul is continuing to ramp up censorship efforts in the state and on social media, following reported continued and increasing antisemitism and Islamophobia online, and will therefore taking steps to crackdown on this, and has admitted that the state has been collecting data on this from their ongoing surveillance efforts.
This comes just weeks after Hochul had already announced that she would be unveiling a new “zero-tolerance” anti-hate police groups because of a purported increase in hate crimes against Jews and Muslims in the state.
Hochul’s latest to censorship more speech in the state and hate online was revealed on Monday, November 13th. Her full speech can be read below:
Good morning. We have determined that the rising level of hate and antisemitism in particular poses a clear and present danger to the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers. And I, as governor, am doing everything in my power to fight back. I’m joined today by State Police Lieutenant Andy Crowe, who will be also speaking in a few moments about our response with respect to counterterrorism efforts.
I just convened an emergency meeting with Jewish leaders and law enforcement to discuss strategies. I had the New York State Police Office of Counterterrorism, the MTA Police, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, federal law enforcement, including the ATF, as well as religious leaders from various organizations in different parts of the state, and clergy as well.
Here’s what I share with them. The day that Hamas attacked Israel, October 7, and the rise in hate crimes began instantaneously. I immediately deployed the state police to be on high alert to protect vulnerable assets. We’ve had regular disruptions now in our transit terminals, including a major incident at Grand Central over the weekend. And as we approach some of the busiest travel days of the year, heading into Thanksgiving, I want to make sure, as I spoke to these leaders in law enforcement, that they have a plan to ensure that our commuters will be able to go about their lives freely without disruption. But it’s more about, so much more than about just travel disruptions.
It’s painful to me as the Governor of this great state, that has been known for its diversity, and how we celebrate different cultures, different religions, different viewpoints, it’s painful to see the cruelty with which New Yorkers are treating each other. Everywhere from college campuses, to our streets, to schools, to playgrounds; even as they’re entering their houses of worship.
As I said, that’s why, knowing these risks, I immediately deployed the State Police to protect our synagogues and yeshivas and mosques and any other place that could be susceptible to hate crimes or violence. We contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to share information about potential threats.
I also announced a significant increase in funding for our efforts: $75 million overall, $50 million for local law enforcement to beef up their efforts as well as $25 million in security grants. State police have been out there. They’ve been embedded with local law enforcement. I’ve seen it with my own eyes as I visit different places of worship. And whether it’s here in New York City, it’s happening, and I’m grateful for their efforts.
Also, we’re very focused on the data we’re collecting from surveillance efforts. What’s being said on social media platforms. And we have launched an effort to be able to counter some of the negativity, and reach out to people when we see hate speech being spoken about on online platforms. Our media analysis, our social media analysis unit, has ramped up its monitoring of sites to catch incitement to violence; direct threats to others, and all this is in response to our desire, our strong commitment, to ensure that not only do New Yorkers be safe, but they also feel safe because personal security is about everything for them.
As I said, no one walking down the street or in a subway should feel they have to find, to hide, any indications of what their religious beliefs are. We expect to see people celebrating their lives, walking about freely, and that is no longer the case because people are living in fear. They have a right to do whatever they want here in the State of New York. And I’ve asked this group today, is there anything else we can and should be doing? We’re doing what we know how to do, but any other ideas. And we’ve decided that what we’ve done in activating our hotline to report hate and bias incidences of all kinds is now being utilized but there are more platforms and more places we can get that number out to. Because people are being subjected to horrible assaults and vile language, and they go back home not sure what to do with that knowledge that they’ve been violated. I want everyone to know this phone number, because I said this is not just an opportunity to say, “well, we took care of it. We have a hotline.” I said to the law enforcement, I want to make sure that every single complaint is run down and investigated. And if they’ve crossed the line from hate speech into a hate crime, that there will be prosecutions. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life and I’m hearing that from so many others, particularly in the Jewish community.
Our college campuses. Students have been targeted. You heard me talk about what I witnessed at Cornell. And a message was sent that day and the day after when I said we’ll make sure that all perpetrators of these crimes, threats, incitement to violence, calling on others to kill other Jewish students, perpetrators will be stopped and prosecuted. And the perpetrator in that case is now behind bars.
These are young people who are vulnerable. They should not be living in fear. Here in New York City we’ve had a huge spike in anti-Semitic incidences. I know that they’re underreported. Hate crimes against Muslims are also being underreported. That is not how we can deal with them. We need the public to step forward.
If you’ve been violated, you’ve been harassed, physically, verbally, you have to let us know so we can step up and protect you. The increase in antisemitic crimes is up 214 percent since October 7. And sadly, I had been convening groups over the past two years to talk about the increase year to year over the last three years as well.
In September, we convened a group of individuals and talked about what we can do to deal with the rise in hate crimes on college campuses and other places all before the floodgates were open on October 7. We’ve not seen this level of hate crimes and fear since September 12, 2001.
People are concerned. They’re worried. And today, I’m going to continue taking any step I can to increase the security of our individuals, our members of the New York State community. Today, I’m announcing that I’m deploying additional State Police personnel to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. This high-level task force investigates international terrorism threats, domestic threats, cyber threats.
And need I remind everyone that we have borders here in the State of New York, a northern border, a western border that are protected by federal law enforcement, but resources are constrained. That’s why we’re working with local officials, State Police, and others to make sure that our borders are protected.
Wasn’t that long ago that the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks came through a border from Canada through Western New York and came to the city to do harm. We must be vigilant. We must protect against that scenario from ever happening again in our state. And by having State Police investigators embedded with every operation, every FBI counter terrorism effort throughout the state, it’s a large state, we have to make sure that they know we have the full support of the State Police behind them, and we can use intelligence to help us get down to the local law enforcement. Now the counter terrorism squads in New York, Buffalo, Albany, Rochester will all have State Police investigators. This will give us greater visibility into the investigations that are unfolding because I’d rather any day of the week, instead of talking about solving crimes, be in the business of preventing crimes. And that’s what this is all about.
We must continue to work together. If anyone thinks that they can get away with spreading hate and harming other New Yorkers and violating the law, you will be caught. You will be caught here in the State of New York because we are ramping up our resources to ensure that everyone can live freely. We have been involved in this. We’ll protect protected speech. We will not protect people committing hate crimes, not here in Manhattan, not in any borough, not in any one of the 62 counties, not on a college campus, not in a house of worship.
We’ll make sure that everyone has the resources to make sure that they are safe. And with that, I’d like to bring up Lieutenant Colonel Andy Crowe, the Assistant Deputy Superintendent for the Office of Counterterrorism, to talk more about our efforts to keep New York State, what we expect New Yorkers to do in reporting, and to really look out for each other.
I want to get back to that time, that space, where New Yorkers can trust each other, be friends on a college campus again, be friends at a playground, in a workplace. Let’s get back to that commonality that we’ve always shared throughout our history as New Yorkers. Treat each other with respect and kindness.
And we will get through this together, I am confident. But we also make sure that we protect the wellbeing of our citizens, and that’s why I’d like to introduce the State Police right now to say a few words.
[…]Just as an aside, we really increased our capacities for surveillance as well as responding to terrorist threats in the aftermath of the Buffalo Massacre that occurred on May 14, 2022. We added more resources to the operations of Lieutenant Crowe, the counterterrorism efforts to, again, try to thwart the actualization of these threats as we were not able to do, was not occurring with the Buffalo situation.
But we have seen other cases where that early warning signal can go off, you can see something that allows you to intervene before we have a disaster happen.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Once again, and will continue to reiterate, that we are witnessing the new War on Terror 2.0, and an indefinite number of freedoms and speech are being stripped away some more under the guise of fighting terrorism, though once again no real evidence has been provided to even give the slightest inkling of justification.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Proverbs 29:2
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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That’s what happens when ya put women in charge
1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
1Ti 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1Ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
What happens when you put men in charge. Wars, rape, murder, domestic violence, terrorism, destroying mother Earth.
There is no mother earth, that is a pagan new age ideology. What you’re saying is totally contrary to God’s word!
Let me clarify two things Anonymous.
1. God created both men and women and they are both equal heirs to the promise of salvation. Each has unique and important skills and talents that complement the other’s skills and talents so that no would have the upper hand and be able to brag about it.
2. We, both men and women, have sinned. We have done wrong. We both have to acknowledge and repent for that. We are equal sinners.