New England Gazzette

Whitestone, Queens — Chanting “United Against Hate. United for Peace. United as One,” community leaders, faith representatives, and residents gathered in Whitestone for a press conference and unity rally denouncing bigotry and calling for accountability from public officials whose rhetoric, they say, has endangered community cohesion.

The rally was organized in response to comments made by NYC Councilmember Vickie Paladino following the December 14, 2025 shooting at a Chanukah event in Australia. After the attack, Paladino used her public platform to make statements that organizers said unfairly and dangerously targeted the Muslim community. Although the initial post was later removed from X, critics noted that a subsequent op-ed doubled down on those claims—an escalation that, organizers said, required a collective response.

At the center of the rally was sharp criticism of NYC Councilmember Joann Ariola, whom speakers accused of applying a troubling double standard when responding to hate. According to organizers, Ariola has previously labeled certain speech targeting Jewish people as antisemitic and dangerous—rightly calling for condemnation and accountability—while simultaneously defending similar rhetoric targeting Muslims as “protected free speech.”

“That contradiction is the problem,” one community leader said. “You cannot call speech against Jews antisemitic, while calling speech against Muslims protected free speech. Hate does not change its nature based on who the target is.”

Speakers emphasized that free speech protections do not absolve elected officials of responsibility, especially when language stigmatizes entire communities. Faith representatives from multiple traditions echoed the same message: condemning antisemitism and condemning Islamophobia are not competing causes, but moral obligations that must be upheld equally.

The rally also addressed recent developments involving Councilmember Ariola’s alleged decision to move her district office out of Ozone Park. Organizers said they were informed weeks ago but waited to speak publicly until they had verified the information. They described the move as emblematic of what they view as years of neglect toward Ozone Park, citing limited funding, lack of engagement with local civic organizations, and preferential treatment given to other neighborhoods.

Speakers disputed explanations that the move was due to structural or flooding issues, noting that previous councilmembers served the community from the same office for over a decade. “This didn’t suddenly become unworkable,” one resident said. “What became inconvenient was the community itself.”

Throughout the event, organizers repeatedly returned to the theme of consistency in leadership. They argued that public officials must be held to the same ethical standard regardless of which community is targeted by hate, and that silence or selective outrage only deepens division.

The rally concluded with a renewed call for action: meaningful investments from city, state, and federal governments to address all forms of hate without exception, and a demand that elected officials publicly reject rhetoric that marginalizes any religious or ethnic group.

As the crowd dispersed, organizers reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful advocacy and unity. “We will remain vigilant, united, and unapologetic,” one speaker said. “New York City belongs to all of us—and hate, in any form, does not belong here.”