A Manhattan public defender’s actions have stirred controversy in New York City after she tore down a poster featuring children held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, citing concerns that it contained words “justifying the killing of children.” The incident, captured in a video posted by the organization Stop Antisemitism, has gone viral, accumulating over 6 million views on social media as of Sunday morning.
The public defender in question is Victoria Ruiz, who is associated with the New York County Defender Services, a legal aid society that provides legal representation to individuals who cannot afford counsel. In the video, an activist is seen repeatedly questioning Ruiz about why she was removing pictures of “missing children.”
Stop Antisemitism took to social media to address the New York County Defenders, expressing their strong disapproval of Ruiz’s actions and characterizing them as biased and hateful. The organization stated, “It is absolutely unacceptable for someone with such bias and hate to serve in your office.”
In response, the New York County Defenders condemned Ruiz’s actions as “highly insensitive” in a statement issued on Sunday evening. However, the organization indicated that it had accepted an apology offered by Ruiz. The statement read, “Ms. Ruiz has apologized to those who were hurt or confused by her actions. After an internal review and a pledge by all involved to do better, we accept this apology and now refocus on the vigorous pursuit of our mission: achieving justice and dignity for every individual we represent.”
Ruiz’s apology, initially shared via email with her colleagues, was later made public by NYC Defenders. In her email, Ruiz expressed regret for the incident, stating, “I apologize to anyone who was hurt or confused by my actions at a vigil last week that was depicted in a video that went viral over the weekend. This viral video misrepresented my actions and has led to false accusations.”
Despite issuing an apology, Ruiz did not provide specific details about how the video misrepresented her actions or clarify what elements in the poster called for the justification of harming children.
When questioned about the content of the poster and how it was interpreted as justifying violence, a spokesperson for NYC Defenders stated, “I did not say that the poster called for the release of hostages. Ms. Ruiz addressed that issue in her statement.” The spokesperson also noted, “As you know, with this issue, emotions run high. I was not at the vigil and did not see the posters. The jarring, graphic nature of the posters was triggering.”
The posters featured images of children with the word “kidnapped” above their faces, and Ruiz’s email went on to express sympathy for the suffering on all sides of the conflict. The incident has ignited a broader conversation about the sensitive nature of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the potential impact of political discourse and actions in this emotionally charged context.
