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NYC Mayor Eric Adams Under Fire After Appearing With Antisemitic Streamer Sneako
New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends an “October 7: One Year Later” commemoration to mark the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack in Israel at the Summer Stage in Central Park on October 7, 2024, in New York City. Photo: Ron Adar/ SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing intense backlash after appearing alongside a controversial streamer known for antisemitic rhetoric, prompting outrage from Jewish leaders, elected officials, and civil rights groups who are demanding an explanation and accountability from the mayor.
The controversy erupted after Adams was seen in a livestream alongside influencer Sneako, a social media personality widely criticized for promoting antisemitic and extremist views, and model Amber Rose smoking cigars at his residence, Gracie Mansion, in New York City. The stream, which circulated rapidly on social media, has sparked fierce condemnation from advocacy groups and political figures who say the mayor’s appearance lends legitimacy to hate speech. While City Hall has yet to issue a detailed response, critics argue the incident raises serious concerns about the mayor’s judgment and the vetting of individuals granted access to public officials.
Sneako, whose real name is Nicolas “Nico” Kenn De Balinthazy, has found himself embroiled in extensive controversies regarding his antisemitic commentary. During one of his livestreams, Sneako reportedly said, “Down with the Jews! Free Palestine” and “Every ‘conspiracy theory’ from the last century is just Israel.” The popular streamer has also said that “Israel is not compatible with Western civilization.” While chatting with antisemitic social media personality Nick Fuentes, Sneako declared that Jewish people “control all the money in the world.” He has also doubted the legitimacy of the Holocaust, questioning how Nazis “fit six million people in the gas chambers.” In a conversation with popular Jewish streamer Adin Ross, Sneako refused to condemn Adolf Hitler as “evil,” claiming that “I haven’t met the guy.”
US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), one of the most vocal supporters of Israel in Congress, slammed Adams for meeting with the antisemitic social media influencer.
“The mayor is smoking cigars at Gracie Mansion with Sneako — yet another antisemite, who once declared: ‘Down with the Jews,’” Torres wrote, “Who’s next on the guest list — David Duke?”
The controversy threatens to undermine Adams’s longstanding efforts to court Jewish voters, a demographic that has been pivotal to his political success. In the 2021 mayoral race, Adams received strong support from Orthodox Jewish communities in neighborhoods like Crown Heights and Flatbush, where he won by significant margins. His alliances with influential groups such as the Satmar Chasidim and the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition were instrumental in his victory. He has also attempted to bolster his standing among the Jewish community recently, signing an executive order on June 8 adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.
Weeks earlier, Adams announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to be established in a major city that will focus on tackling “all forms of antisemitism.”
Some observers have argued that Adams’s misstep with Sneako could jeopardize the mayor’s standing among Jewish voters, especially as he faces a crowded field of challengers in an upcoming election, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and progressive anti-Israel candidate Zohran Mamdani.
The post NYC Mayor Eric Adams Under Fire After Appearing With Antisemitic Streamer Sneako first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.