Bratton’s Right on ‘Protest’ Goons

Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is right: The city needs to start treating unruly pro-Hamas “protesters” as the goons they are — especially as they’re mobilizing to target the iconic New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.

Police officers should not be treating the volatile, traffic-snarling, antisemitic “Flood NYC for Palestine” demonstrators with kid gloves. They’re attacking civic life.

They disrupted the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Rock Center tree-lighting, Christmas services at St. Pat’s and Washington Square Park caroling. They closed Grand Central and blocked the Brooklyn Bridge and traffic to JFK. This isn’t speech, it’s intimidation and blackmail.

As Bratton says, the city should be hitting them with criminal charges that can “screw them up for the rest of their damn lives.”

He’s also right that the city gave up crucial public-order ground in settling the lawsuit over the also-unacceptable “protests” after the 2020 death of George Floyd.

Bad enough that City Hall agreed to pay $13 million — nearly $10K per rioter arrested amid looting and arson; worse that it put an end to NYPD “kettling” of disruptive crowds, which allowed for orderly resolution of civic-blackmail efforts like the pro-Hamas crew is pulling now.

Mayor Adams now admits that settlement has made officers “hesitant” in handling large, out-of-control marches; he blames city lawyers’ bad advice.

Sorry, sir, the buck stops at your desk. It’s time to tear up that agreement and let Police Commissioner Edward Caban and the NYPD’s ranks do their job.

These “protesters” are warring on your city, Mr. Mayor: Stop the pre-emptive surrender.