Backlash After de Blasio Threatens to Arrest Jews Who Gather in Large Groups

Supporters of Rabbi Chaim Mertz, who reportedly died from the coronavirus, gathered Tuesday evening to mourn the passing of the religious leader, flouting the social distancing guidelines put forth by both state and city municipalities.

A social media figure posted the images to twitter, resulting in Mayor de Blasio responding

 

Deblasio shot out two tweets, first he stated “Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic. When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus”

The second tweet drew blowback: ” My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”

The internet has responded to de Blasio’s threats and he set off anger and condemnation from all sides.

The ADL responded:

Councilman Yeger  responded:

He received criticism from his fellow left wing travelers

 

Some comments were unfiltered and quite angry

 

 

This is just a small sample of the reactions to de Blasio’s threats, the mayor had to address it this morning

 

Here is an exclusive video of the funeral which started this entire controversy