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Jewish NYC lawmaker Inna Vernikov cleared of criminal charge after bringing ‘inoperable’ gun to pro-Palestinian protest
(New York Jewish Week) — New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Jewish Republican from Brooklyn, was cleared of a criminal charge after bringing a firearm to a pro-Palestinian rally last month.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said on Friday that the charge was dropped because the firearm Vernikov surrendered to police was missing its recoil spring assembly, a crucial component, rendering the weapon “inoperable.”
“Peaceful protest is the right of every American, but bringing a gun to a protest is illegal and creates an unacceptable risk of harm that has no place in our city,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement sent to the New York Jewish Week. “In order to sustain this charge, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the weapon in question was capable of firing bullets. Absent such proof, we have no choice but to dismiss these charges.”
Vernikov was arrested on Oct. 13 after images on social media showed her appearing with the weapon in her waistband outside a pro-Palestinian protest as tensions flared in the city days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a progressive group that has joined in anti-Israel protests following Oct. 7 and that has accused Israel of “genocide,” shared the photo and called for Vernikov’s expulsion from the council.
Vernikov’s appearance with the weapon has become fodder for pro-Palestinian groups, who argue the incident is evidence protesters are being intimidated or stifled by authorities.
The outspoken lawmaker had attended the protest next to Brooklyn College the previous day to repudiate the pro-Palestinian protesters and to “make sure that Jewish students feel safe,” she said in a video she posted from the scene that is filmed from the waist up and does not show the gun.
Vernikov had a license for the Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, but under New York law firearms are not permitted at “sensitive locations,” including at protests.
Police contacted Vernikov after the images circulated online and she turned herself into the NYPD’s 70th precinct, where she was charged with criminal possession of a firearm. She surrendered her firearms license and the weapon.
The incident drew condemnation from other lawmakers, with the New York City Council saying in a statement that the incident was being investigated and “may require the recusal of committee members.”
“It is unacceptable and unlawful for a civilian to ever bring a firearm to a rally or protest, and especially important for elected officials to model a respect for the law that is expected of all New Yorkers,” the council said in a statement.
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “New York’s gun safety laws apply to everyone.”
Vernikov, 39, is one of six Republicans on the 51-member City Council and is the minority whip, representing the 48th district in south Brooklyn. She was elected to office in 2021. Born in the former Soviet Union in what is now Ukraine, she represents a group of neighborhoods with a significant Jewish population, including many immigrants from the former Soviet Union. She has been heavily involved in Jewish and pro-Israel causes, both as a city councilmember and before taking office.
Vernikov was reelected to her seat earlier this month with a decisive win over Democratic challenger Amber Adler, who is also Jewish.
Vernikov’s lawyer, Arthur L. Aidala, hailed the dropped charge, saying in a statement, “Councilwoman Vernikov has an outstanding reputation serving her constituency, which since her reelection will continue to do for the next two years.”
“She is pleased to have this all behind her and looks forward to continuing her fight on behalf of all New Yorkers to keep this city the greatest city in the word,” Aidala said in a statement provided to the New York Jewish Week.
The dropped charge was first reported by the local news outlet The City.
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The post Jewish NYC lawmaker Inna Vernikov cleared of criminal charge after bringing ‘inoperable’ gun to pro-Palestinian protest appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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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.