Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams forcefully condemned the “globalize the intifada” movement on Sunday while announcing heightened security measures for Hanukkah, following a series of deadly attacks targeting Jews and other victims worldwide, as reported by Newsmax.
Adams’ remarks included pointed criticism that appeared directed at Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has previously resisted condemning the slogan and related messaging.
Speaking at a Sunday news conference, Adams addressed the recent terrorist attack in Australia that targeted Jews celebrating Hanukkah, killing at least 16 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
“This attack did not come out of nowhere. It came out as the consequences of Islamic extremists,” Adams said. “And we have to be clear on that.”
He stressed that his remarks were not directed at Muslims broadly.
“It’s not an attack on our Muslim brothers and sisters, who carry out their faith every day, but [it] is the hijacking of their religion by Islamic extremists,” Adams said.
The mayor made the comments while announcing expanded security for Hanukkah celebrations across New York City and rejecting calls to reduce policing or security measures.
His statements came amid ongoing debate over public safety policies championed by Mamdani during his campaign.
“Words have meaning,” Adams said. “Words have impact, and words have power.”
“Everyone needs to understand what words mean before they repeat them, before they shout them, before they defend them. That attack in Sydney is exactly what it means to globalize [the] intifada,” he continued.
“We saw the actual application of the globalization of intifada in Sydney because the attacker knew who he was targeting and he knew why,” Adams added.
Adams also acknowledged other recent acts of violence, including the killing of three American service members in what was reported as an ISIS-related terrorist attack in Syria, a mass shooting at Brown University that left two dead and nine wounded, and an overnight shooting in Brooklyn that hospitalized six teenagers.
Reflecting on the Sydney attack, Adams noted the timing and the victims.
“It is the first night of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, where Jews are obligated to publicize the celebration of their faith,” he said.
“And among the murdered victims of the attack [was] a rabbi who had ties to Crown Heights, as well as a Holocaust survivor.”
“Let me say that again: a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor killed for being Jewish,” Adams said.
“Antisemitism has no place in our city, in our society, and in our world. And I will continue to fight for this community and all communities of this city and for fellow brothers and sisters from the Jewish community,” he added.
“For the past four years, this administration has stood by the Jewish community, not just as the mayor, but as an ally, as a father, and as a human being.”
Adams pledged to confront antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric directly.
“As human beings, we cannot just turn down the temperature of hate — that is not enough. We must shut it off completely,” he said. “Here in New York City, we must call out hate without fear and without apology.”
“We’re going to be defiant. We’re going to be resilient. All New Yorkers deserve to feel proud about their heritage. They deserve to feel safe in the displays of their pride,” Adams said.
He closed by offering remarks to Jewish New Yorkers observing Hanukkah.
“Tonight, as Jewish New Yorkers celebrate Hanukkah, we honor another family of fighters, the Maccabees, who fought for the freedom of Jewish people, and they won,” Adams said.
“They did not lose hope. They did not lose faith. And so, they did not lose, and we will not lose.”
Reacting to Bondi Beach attack, Mayor Eric Adams says:
“That attack in Sydney is exactly what it means to ‘globalize the Intifada.’ We saw the actual application of the globalization of the intifada in Sydney…” pic.twitter.com/3EI3IZp3Dg
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) December 14, 2025
