New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced threw off some serious Hunger Games vibes Monday, announcing that the state of New York has been ‘collecting data’ from social media platforms in order to combat “hate speech” following an alleged rise in antisemitic attacks.
“It’s painful to me as the governor of this great state — that has been known for its diversity, and how we celebrate different cultures, different religions, different viewpoints — it’s painful to see the cruelty with which New Yorkers are treating each other,” she said, not letting a crisis go to waste.
“Everywhere from college campuses, to our streets, to schools, to playgrounds; even as they’re entering their houses of worship,” Hochul said, noting that she “immediately deployed the State Police to protect our synagogues and yeshivas and mosques and any other place that could be susceptible to hate crimes or violence.”
According to the NYPD, hate incidents against Jews have increased nearly 331% in New York City since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
And after meeting with top Jews in NY, Hochul plans “to catch incitement to violence” and “direct threats to others” via social media surveillance.
“We’re very focused on the data we’re collecting from surveillance efforts – what’s being said on social media platforms. And we have launched an effort to be able to counter some of the negativity and reach out to people when we see hate speech being spoken about on online platforms,” she said, adding that New Yorkers “should feel they have to hide any indications of what their religious beliefs are.”
Some definitions of ‘hate speech’ and ‘incitement to violence,’ plus a list of who’s judging speech to be hateful, would be nice.