NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has slammed the lack of prosecution of activity by protesters, particularly those on campuses since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack, that he said should be classified as hate crimes -- and points the finger at lawmakers who cower in fear of the protesters, suggesting Gov. Kathy Hochul should appoint a special prosecutor for hate crimes if District Attorneys are not up for the task.
"If you stop enforcing the laws, don't be surprised when chaos ensues, and that is exactly what we are seeing in New York," the former Democratic lawmaker told 500 members of the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach over the weekend. "Not just in this issue, but all across the board, because the laws aren't the laws anymore. There are no rules and you have pandemonium."
"These are hate crimes -- enforce the law. If the district attorneys won't do it, the governor should appoint a special prosecutor to prosecute hate crimes," Cuomo said to a roar of applause.
Defiant, he said, "These are hate crimes. When you attack someone because of their race, religion. creed it is a hate crime and we have to prosecute it as a hate crime and we're not doing it Why? Well, because politically the politicians are afraid of these activists because they are so mobilized."
Cuomo recently cofounded Never Again, NOW, a nonprofit social welfare organization "devoted to providing education and promoting understanding about the relationship between Israel and the United States and the historic role the Jewish people have played in this country. It is committed to countering the epidemic of ignorance and hate." It recently launched its first TV spot (below).
Cuomo, who resigned from office in August 2021 during his third term, said, "The government is supposed to protect the people of New York. These protesters are not protesters. This is not about the First Amendment, 'I have a right to speak my mind, peaceful demonstrations."
He explained, "This is not what happened on college campuses. These were criminal acts that are happening. Criminal acts. You put on a mask like Hamas, you were an inverted triangle which is a symbol for the Israeli targets for Hamas to target, you intimidate, you threaten, that is a hate crime."