(TJV) Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was apprehended on Thursday after being seen carrying a firearm at a pro-terrorist  demonstration.

This incident has led to demands for her removal from her elected position. Vernikov, who is of Jewish descent and has previously expressed her opposition to pro-Palestinian and pro Hamas activists, was present at a gathering held at CUNY’s Brooklyn College.

At today’s rally on Brooklyn College campus led by the students in their SJP chapter, Inna Vernikov showed up showcasing a gun to Palestinian students and their allies.

These are the tactics of force and intimidation used by zionist groups to silence any support for Palestine. pic.twitter.com/woQ6KGE1Gv

— CUNY4Palestine (@Cuny4P) October 12, 2023

According to police sources, she was observed with the butt of a handgun visible from the front of her pants during the protest, which took place between noon and 2:45 p.m. She subsequently left the location and, upon notification to the police, turned herself in to the 70th Precinct, accompanied by her attorney around 2:50 a.m. the following day.

At @BrooklynCollege rally this afternoon with @CMFarahLouis & @KalmanYeger. If you’re standing w/ the protestors, yelling “GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA” & “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE” while innocent women and babies are being raped, massacred and beheaded, you’re… pic.twitter.com/7ESRAGrjtb

— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) October 12, 2023

She was charged with possession of a firearm because she was on school premises, despite holding a concealed carry permit. Vernikov voluntarily surrendered her firearm and her permit, and instead of being processed, she was issued a desk appearance ticket. Fortunately, no one was threatened or harmed as a result of her firearm possession during the earlier protest.

Later, Vernikov posted a video of herself addressing the contentious protest, expressing strong views against the demonstrators. In her statement, she accused those supporting the protesters of sympathizing with Hamas and wanting to bring terrorism to target the Jewish community. Although her gun was not visible in her own video, pictures and videos depicting her with the firearm clearly exposed in her pants quickly circulated on social media.

One image of the councilwoman with the handgun was shared by radical extremist antisemitic group  “CUNY4Palestine”, a tweet condemning her actions as a “display of force and intimidation used by Zionist groups to stifle support for Palestine”.

This led to calls for her dismissal and the revocation of her gun license, with the hashtag “ExpelVernikov” gaining traction on social media.