Following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Mayor Adams allegedly likened pro-Palestine demonstrations to Ku Klux Klan rallies during a private discussion, according to a fresh lawsuit. This legal action accuses him and his administration of discriminating against Muslim employees.
The lawsuit, filed late Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court by Hassan Naveed, a former director of hate crimes prevention under Adams, seeks damages totaling at least $1 million. Naveed was dismissed from his role at City Hall in April 2024.
Naveed, who identifies as Muslim, claims that Adams made the controversial comparison during a confidential meeting with him and other municipal staff in late October 2023.
The lawsuit further contends that this incident is part of an ongoing pattern where Adams and his top advisers allegedly engaged in “discriminatory conduct” against Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and individuals perceived to be connected with these groups.
Kayla Mamelak, a spokeswoman for Adams, refuted Naveed’s account concerning his dismissal.
“This individual was an at-will employee who was terminated due to poor job performance—plain and simple—not because of his identity, religion, or beliefs. Any claim to the contrary is ridiculous,” stated Mamelak. Mayor Adams is stepping down on January 1, having decided not to seek reelection.
“We will respond in court, where we are confident these claims will be disproven.”
Naveed’s suit alleges anti-Muslim sentiment in the upper ranks of the Adams administration became “particularly pronounced” after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed roughly 1,200 people and prompted Israel to launch its war in Gaza, which has left more than 65,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Naveed, who was in charge of helping oversee the city’s hate crimes prevention programs, alleges, for example, that his team in late 2023 presented Adams’ office with a draft press release mentioning the need to ramp up mental health resources for New Yorkers impacted by the conflict in the Middle East, whether they be Israeli or Palestinian.
An unidentified “communications director” to Adams responded via email that the Palestinian reference should be taken out from the document because “Palestine is not a real country,” the suit says. While there’s no universally-recognized sovereign nation of Palestine, a number of countries, including Canada, have recognized it as a state.
Naveed — whose firing was first reported by the Daily News last year — alleges he and other Muslim city employees met privately with Adams on Oct. 23, 2023 to raise concerns about “anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian” rhetoric that administration officials had used in the wake of the Hamas attack.
Naveed’s suit says he had at the time been especially troubled by Deputy Chief of Staff Menashe Shapiro, Community Affairs Commissioner Fred Kriezman and senior adviser Joel Eisdorfer amplifying “anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian” posts on social media, including a call for the need to “clear out Gaza.”
At the top of the meeting, the suit says an unidentified city employee of Palestinian descent told Adams she had never felt “more dehumanized, devalued and without a voice” due to the “anti-Palestinian rhetoric coming from City Hall.”
In response, Adams told attendees he believed Muslims had been facing “hate because Muslims, as a community, had failed to adequately condemn Hamas,” according to Naveed’s suit.
After lamenting there had been no “solid” Muslim community voice condemning Hamas, Adams told participants he believed Muslims “were too busy organizing protests for Palestine,” the court papers say.
“He compared these protests to ‘Ku Klux Klan’ protests,” the suit continued. At one point in the meeting, the suit claims Adams stated: “I don’t know the difference between a Palestinian, Pakestinian [sic], Arab, Muslim, I have no idea.”
Naveed told The News on Tuesday there’s a recording of Adams’ remarks in that meeting, but said he couldn’t immediately provide a copy of it.
After the Oct. 7 attack, Naveed was also sidelined from attending City Hall meetings where hate crime prevention efforts were being discussed, according to the suit. He claimed the administration tried on multiple occasions to cancel city funding for local nonprofits advocating for Palestinian rights as well.
In addition to Adams, Naveed’s suit names Candice Julien, his former direct supervisor, and her chief of staff, Nora Daniel, as defendants, alleging they participated in the discrimination against him, in part by informing him on April 16, 2024 he had been fired.
They told him he was being let go for failing to file an annual report, but Naveed alleges he had submitted that document on time and that they came up with the false pretense to mask the actual, discriminatory reason for his termination.
In addition to alleging his firing was the result of discrimination, Naveed says Adams defamed him by claiming in spring 2024 that he was fired for not performing his job well.
