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By: Benyamin Davidsons
South Brooklyn City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov is to be cleared of charges, after taking a firearm to observe a pro-Palestinian rally that took place in Brooklyn.
As reported by the NY Post, Vernikov, who is a Jew and has been a staunch supporter of Israeli causes, was caught on camera with a firearm in her waistband of her pants while at an anti-Israel rally last month on the campus of CUNY’s Brooklyn College; a hotbed on anti-Israel activism. She was not arrested at the protest, but after the fact, photos of her wearing the gun at the Oct 12 anti-Israel rally were circulated on social media. Following the negative attention, she had turned herself in at the 70th police precinct, accompanied by her lawyer.
The gun which she presented to the NYPD was both unloaded and “inoperable,” as it was missing the “recoil spring assembly” that would have allowed it to fire bullets, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said Friday. “In order to sustain this charge, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the weapon in question was capable of firing bullets,” Brooklyn DA spokesman Oren Yaniv said in a statement. “Absent such proof, we have no choice but to dismiss these charges.” “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,” Yaniv added.
Vernikov has a license for a concealed weapon, however, it is still illegal in New York state to carry a firearm at sensitive locations including protests or on school grounds. The felony charge against her is expected to be formally dropped at her upcoming court appearance on Jan. 24. The 39-year-old Ukrainian native has served in the NYC council since 2021, representing the 48th District, including Brighton Beach, West Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Gravesend, and parts of Midwood and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. A conservative Republican, she was just reelected this month to her continue serving in her political post.
”Councilwoman Vernikov has an outstanding reputation serving her constituency which since her re-election she will continue to do for the next two years,” her attorney, Arthur Aidala, said in a statement on Friday. “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 world.” Vernikov also added her own statement, reiterating that she was “glad” to move past the episode. “Ever since Hamas has unleashed a massacre on the people of Israel on Oct. 7th, Jewish New Yorkers have been facing an unprecedented rise in hate and violence on our streets and on our college campuses,” she said.
In October, following the pro-Palestinian rally, she had shared a video of herself outside the rally on X, formerly Twitter. “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 a HAMAS supporter & apologist who would like to bring the terror here to rid the world of the Jewish people. We will never remain silent. StandWithIsrael,” the councilwoman had posted.
