Coalition Releases Press Conference Video Calling for Removal of Council Member Inna Vernikov from NYC City Council Antisemitism Task Force Following Brooklyn Anti-Muslim Incitement Controversy and San Diego Mosque Attack
- Council Member Julie Won commits to holding CM Vernikov accountable within City Council.
- New York Coalition for Safety, Protection, Equity & Accountability Calls for "One Standard" on Hate, Accountability and Public Safety in New York City
- For the first time, press Conference videos release publicly
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NEW YORK, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, May 21, 2026, more than 25 Muslim, Jewish, Christian and allied civic, faith and community leaders gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall for an emergency press conference calling for accountability, interfaith solidarity, and equal standards regarding hate and public safety in New York City.
The coalition publicly called on New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin to uphold her prior public commitment and remove Council Member Inna Vernikov from the New York City Council Task Force to Combat Antisemitism following what organizers have demonstrated to be repeated inflammatory rhetoric targeting Muslims.
The gathering followed widespread controversy surrounding social media posts made by Council Member Vernikov regarding Muslim men performing Jumu'ah prayer outside Al Madina Mosque in Brooklyn, neighboring Bnos Leah Prospect Park Yeshiva. Coalition members provided a detailed report and appendix on the incident, include an exhibit of the post, which generated more than 30 million online impressions and 3 million views, and fueled anti-Muslim hostility nationally.
The press conference also took place days after the deadly terrorist attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad were killed in an attack being investigated as anti-Muslim violence.
"It is exactly this type of inflammatory rhetoric and propaganda that creates the conditions for tragedies like the one we witnessed in San Diego," said Afaf Nasher, Executive Director of CAIR-NY. "More broadly, it is part of the same ecosystem driving the unprecedented rise in Islamophobic incidents across the United States. In 2025, CAIR recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim complaints in its more than 30-year history."
Coalition leaders emphasized that the issue extends beyond a single elected official and reflects a broader concern about whether all New Yorkers receive equal standards of dignity, safety, accountability and protection.
"We are grateful to Council Member Julie Won, for demonstrating her commitment to holding all elected-officials accountable to one standard. We cannot wait for what just occurred in San Diego to happen in New York City before taking the matters seriously," said Reverend Dr. Mootoo, Pastor Emanuel AME Church.
"This moment is larger than one elected official," coalition organizers stated in their public letter. "New Yorkers of every faith do not need to agree on every political issue to stand together against hatred, falsehood and religious incitement," said Dr. Abdusalam Musa, Board Member, Shuraa Council of New York and Chairman of Faith Leadership Council, OneNYC.
"It is an insult to all New York Jews that we have a woman who creates the conditions for Antisemitism leading the Antisemitism Task Force," said Bobbie Sackman, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.
The coalition is now publicly releasing both the full recording and highlight reel from the press conference.
Organizers are calling for:
- Immediate removal of Council Member Vernikov from the NYC Council Task Force to Combat Antisemitism
- Equal standards regarding Islamophobia and antisemitism
- Referral to the Committee on Standards and Ethics
- Public affirmation that all religious communities deserve equal protection and accountability
- Direct engagement between City Council leadership and coalition representatives
Coalition leaders point to publicly available statements by Rabbi Leib Kelman of Bnos Leah Prospect Park Yeshiva, who stated regarding the neighboring mosque community:
"They're very nice people. I don't know why there is any political torment. Nothing happened; there is nothing going on."
The coalition's open letter and supporting materials further document what organizers describe as a broader pattern of inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric, online radicalization, and unequal standards regarding hate and public accountability.
Coalition open letter and supporting documentation sent to Speaker Julie Menin available upon request.
SOURCE OneNYC Action Inc.
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