Lee Zeldin rips Kathy Hochul for ‘hiding in silence’ after CUNY law student’s ‘hate speech’
Former Long Island Rep. and GOP gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin on Wednesday ripped Gov. Kathy Hochul for not forcefully condemning a CUNY law graduate’s infamous “hate-filled” commencement speech — calling the Democrat a “disgrace for hiding in silence.”
Zeldin is the latest high-profile figure to lash out after footage of 2023 law school graduate Fatima Mousa Mohammed’s commencement speech sparked widespread outrage and condemnation.
The Republican accused Hochul of staying silent amid the ongoing saga after her office issued a brief statement to The Post a day earlier saying she has “always been a steadfast supporter of Israel and condemns antisemitism in all forms.”
“The situation at CUNY merits her serious attention and bold action,” Zeldin said in a scathing statement put out Wednesday.
“The CUNY administration needs to be overhauled, and until Jewish students and faculty can all feel welcome again on campus, taxpayer funding must be immediately suspended.
“On brand, Hochul is demonstrating zero passion, zero outrage, and zero vision.”
Hochul, during an unrelated event in Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon said, “I condemn all forms of hate speech. It is divisive. It is hurtful. It is cruel. And I’m calling on everyone across the state to join with us in saying no more. No more hate in our state.
“This is a place where we embrace everyone, and especially in a higher education institution, our expectations are that you will be more tolerant of other views. And that is why we have to make sure to call out the hate speech, which is exactly what happened on that stage. And I have called it out. And we have to continue working with CUNY as I know they’re working closely with the JCRC, the Jewish Community Relations Council, to find ways to just stop this, to let people know that we will protect them, protect their rights, but that protection does not cross over to protecting hate speech.”
In her May 12 commencement address, Mohammed had called for a “revolution” to take on the legal system’s “white supremacy.”
She also blasted the NYPD as “fascist” and accused Israel of indiscriminately murdering Palestinians.
Outraged critics quickly called for the public institution to be stripped of its billions of dollars in annual taxpayer funding after footage of the speech started going viral.
After much outcry, top officials at CUNY on Tuesday finally condemned the graduate’s remarks as unacceptable “hate speech” unfitting for a commencement.
“Free speech is precious, but often messy, and is vital to the foundation of higher education,” said CUNY Board of Trustees chairman Bill Thompson, vice chair Sandra Wilkin and chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez in a joint statement.
“Hate speech, however, should not be confused with free speech and has no place on our campuses or in our city, our state or our nation.
“The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation. The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York condemns such hate speech.”
