NYC Council Member Paladino Ignites Firestorm with Call to Expel Muslims Following Bondi Beach Attack
New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino is facing widespread condemnation and censure demands after calling for the “expulsion of Muslims from western nations” in inflammatory social media posts following the December 14 terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, that killed 15 people. The Republican councilwoman from Queens published more than 80 anti-Muslim posts over the weekend, prompting colleagues from across the political spectrum to denounce her rhetoric as dangerous, unconstitutional, and unworthy of public office.
The Inflammatory Posts That Sparked Outrage
In the early hours of Sunday morning, at 4:52 a.m., Paladino posted on X (formerly Twitter): “We’re in the midst of a global jihad the likes of which the world has never seen, and we just ignore it”. She continued: “We need to take very seriously the need to begin the expulsion of Muslims from western nations, or at the very least the severe sanction of them within western borders”.
The councilwoman escalated her rhetoric further, writing: “The administration needs to begin developing a formal legal framework for the denaturalization process and get it over with before we end up with another 9/11 or worse”. According to the Daily News, Paladino shared or reposted over 80 anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant messages on Sunday alone, including one that referred to Muslims as “Evil Islam ANIMALS” and another calling for governments to “ban Islam”.
The posts remained live for hours despite mounting criticism from city officials. Paladino deleted them Monday afternoon, but only after incoming City Council Speaker Julie Menin personally called her and requested their removal.
Swift Condemnation From City Leaders
“I strongly condemn this hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric that threatens the safety of us all. It should have no place in our city and nation, and instead has become common behavior from this particular council member.”
— City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
Speaker Adams, who is completing her term before Menin takes over in January, directed responsibility to the Council’s Committee on Standards and Ethics to bring disciplinary action. “It is the responsibility of the Council’s Committee on Standards and Ethics to bring disciplinary action against council members, as officials democratically elected by New Yorkers,” Adams stated.
Outgoing City Comptroller Brad Lander went further, explicitly demanding that “the City Council should begin censure proceedings this week,” calling Paladino’s remarks “disgusting—and utterly unacceptable”. Lander emphasized that nearly one million Muslim New Yorkers are “our neighbors, friends, co-workers, and our Mayor-elect”.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who will make history next month as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, responded directly to Paladino’s statements. “A million Muslims live in New York City. We belong here, as does every other New Yorker,” Mamdani posted on social media. “This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman, and it has no place in our city”.
Progressive Caucus Demands Ethics Investigation and Censure
The City Council’s Progressive Caucus, consisting of 17 members, issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ethics investigation and fast-tracked censure process. “For years, Paladino has engaged in a well-documented pattern of racist and inflammatory outbursts that have no place in our city and our politics,” the caucus stated. “To continue to allow her to spew this hatred without consequences is unacceptable. We stand with Muslim New Yorkers and are united in condemning this latest tirade”.
Council Member Shahana Hanif, one of only two Muslims serving in the 51-member City Council, expressed skepticism that any real consequences would follow. “I’m old enough to remember calling for Council Member Inna Vernikov to be censured and expelled for brandishing a gun to intimidate students peacefully protesting at Brooklyn College,” Hanif wrote, referencing a 2023 incident involving a Republican colleague. “There were no consequences. Now Council Member Vickie Paladino openly calls for the expulsion of Muslims, without even attempting to mask her Islamophobia. And she, too, will likely face no consequences”.
Hanif added: “As one of only two Muslim elected officials in a City Council of 51, I shouldn’t have to explain what this pattern says about whose safety, dignity, and belonging are treated as expendable”.
Incoming Speaker Menin’s Measured Response
Incoming Speaker Julie Menin, who will assume leadership of the City Council in January, took a more restrained approach than some of her colleagues. While she called Paladino’s comments “abhorrent” and “completely unacceptable,” she stopped short of explicitly calling for censure proceedings.
“I asked Council Member Paladino to take down the post, and she did,” Menin told City & State. “The comments are abhorrent. Targeting the Muslim community is completely unacceptable and unbelievably divisive, which is why I called Council Member Paladino and asked her to take the statement down”.
Menin’s position is complicated by the fact that Paladino supported her bid for speaker, giving Menin the supermajority needed to secure the leadership position. According to am New York, Paladino’s post remained visible for nearly 2 hours after Menin publicly said she had asked for its removal.
Anthony Paladino Jr., the councilwoman’s son who manages much of her social media presence, told City & State: “Julie is in a tough situation. I did support her (for) speaker, and I still support her (for) speaker. I made my stance very clear with Julie. I will no longer be making any apologies. I did this for her”.
A Pattern of Controversial Rhetoric
Paladino, who represents parts of northeast Queens including Whitestone, College Point, and Bayside, has built a reputation for provocative statements that frequently draw condemnation from colleagues. In 2022, she compared Drag Story Hour events to child grooming, prompting calls for her censure. She was ultimately removed from the Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions as a consequence of those remarks, but faced no further disciplinary action.
On her first day in office in January 2022, Paladino refused to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, comparing vaccine documentation requirements to Nazi Germany by stating: “I don’t need to show you my papers. This is not Nazi Germany”. The remark was widely condemned for trivializing the Holocaust; she later apologized and eventually received a religious exemption allowing her to participate in Council proceedings.
More recently, Paladino has repeatedly called for the deportation of Mamdani, falsely claiming his citizenship was obtained through fraud. In recent weeks, she has doubled down on these demands even as Mamdani prepares to take office as mayor.
In November 2025, Paladino’s son was caught on video cursing out volunteers for his mother’s electoral opponent, using racial language, and issuing threats. That same month, it was revealed that vehicles associated with Paladino Jr. had accumulated 36 speeding violations in school zones since March 2020, with over $10,000 in unpaid fines.
Paladino’s Defense: Free Speech and “PR for Radical Islam”
In response to the backlash, Paladino framed the criticism as an attack on her First Amendment rights, even though she had voluntarily deleted her posts. “It’s been clear for a while that progressives don’t [believe in] freedom of speech, but I find it funny that they’re so apocalyptic over this tweet while their social media accounts and those of their leftist allies in the DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] spew some of the most violent, hateful, and anti-American rhetoric daily,” she stated.
Paladino concluded: “Once again, they are acting as the PR and defense team for radical Islam after a wave of terror attacks across the West. We’re going to have to deal with this dangerous reality soon enough”.
Her office did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Queens Eagle and other outlets seeking clarification on her remarks.
Questions About Enforcement and Accountability
As of publication, Council Member Sandra Ung, who chairs the Committee on Standards and Ethics, has not responded to inquiries regarding whether the committee has received any referral from Speaker Adams or if they will convene to address Paladino’s conduct independently. The five-person ethics committee typically does not discuss its activities publicly and can, in theory, take action without the speaker’s approval.
Incoming Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, a Democrat who will represent a purple district in southern Brooklyn with a large Muslim community, directly addressed Paladino on X: “Really can’t emphasize enough how much I’m not looking forward to working with you. Urging my colleagues on the Standards and Ethics Committee to take this up immediately”.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called Paladino’s statements remarks that have no place outside a white supremacist rally”.