After the Hamas events of October 7, 2023 terrorist attack On Israel, Mayor Adams has privately compared pro-Palestinian protests to Ku Klux Klan rallies, according to a new lawsuit accusing him and other members of his administration of discriminating against Muslim employees.
The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court late Tuesday. Hasan NavidAdams' former director of hate crimes prevention, who was fired from his position at City Hall in April 2024. The suit seeks damages of at least $1 million.
Navid, a Muslim, claims Adams made comparisons between pro-Palestinian activities and KKK rallies during a private meeting with him and other city employees in late October 2023.
In the lawsuit, Naveed alleges that the incident was part of a “long pattern” of Adams and his senior advisers engaging in “discriminatory behavior against Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians and those perceived to be associated with these identities.”
Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak disputed Navid's assessment of his firing.
“This individual was an at-will employee who was fired for poor performance – plain and simple – and was not fired because of his personality, religion or views. Any suggestion otherwise is absurd,” said Mamelak, whose boss is leaving office on Jan. 1, abandoning his re-election bid.
“We will respond in court, where we are confident these allegations will be refuted.”
Naveed's lawsuit alleges that anti-Muslim sentiment in the top ranks of the Adams administration became “particularly pronounced” after Hamas attack on October 7It killed about 1,200 people and prompted Israel to launch a war in the Gaza Strip that killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health.
Naveed, who was responsible for overseeing the city's hate crime prevention programs, claims, for example, that his team submitted a draft press release to Adams' office in late 2023 that cited the need to expand mental health resources for New Yorkers affected by conflict in the Middle East, whether Israeli or Palestinian.
An unidentified “public affairs director” responded to Adams via email that the reference to Palestine should be removed from the document because “Palestine is not a real country,” the suit says. Although Palestine does not exist as a generally recognized sovereign state, a number of countries, including Canada, have recognized it as a state.
Navid, whose dismissal was first reported Daily News last year — claims he and other Muslim city employees met privately with Adams on Oct. 23, 2023, to express concerns about the “anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian” rhetoric administration officials used after the Hamas attack.
Naveed's lawsuit says he was particularly concerned about his deputy chief of staff at the time. Menashe ShapiroCommunity Affairs Commissioner Fred Kritzman and senior adviser Joel Eisdorfer have been circulating “anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian” posts on social media, including calling for a “clean up of the Gaza Strip.”
At the beginning of the meeting, the lawsuit says an unidentified Palestinian-American city employee told Adams that she had never felt “more dehumanized, devalued and disenfranchised” by “anti-Palestinian rhetoric emanating from City Hall.”
In response, Adams told those in attendance that he believed Muslims faced “hatred because Muslims, as a community, failed to adequately condemn Hamas,” according to Navid's lawsuit.
Lamenting the lack of a “strong” voice from the Muslim community condemning Hamas, Adams told participants he believed Muslims were “too busy organizing protests in Palestine,” court documents said.
“He compared these protests to those of the Ku Klux Klan,” the lawsuit says. At one point in the meeting, the lawsuit alleges, Adams stated, “I don’t know the difference between Palestinian and Pakistani.” [sic]Arab, Muslim, I have no idea.”
Naveed told The News on Tuesday that there was a recording of Adams speaking at the meeting, but said he could not immediately provide a copy of it.
After October 7 attackAccording to the lawsuit, Naveed was also removed from town hall meetings where efforts to prevent hate crimes were discussed. He said the administration has repeatedly tried to eliminate city funding for local nonprofits that advocate for Palestinian rights.
In addition to Adams, Navid's lawsuit names Candace Julien, his former supervisor, and her chief of staff Nora Daniel as defendants, alleging they engaged in discrimination against him by, in part, telling him on April 16, 2024, that he was fired.
He was told that he was being fired for failing to submit an annual report, but Navid claims that he submitted this document on time and that they made up a false pretext to disguise the real discriminatory reason for his dismissal.
In addition to claiming that his firing was the result of discrimination, Naveed says Adams defamed him by claiming in the spring of 2024 that he was fired for unsatisfactory performance of his job.
