Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was arrested Friday after she was spotted toting a firearm at a pro-Palestinian rally on Thursday— resulting in calls for her to be removed from office.
The councilwoman, who is Jewish and has spoken out against pro-Palestinian supporters , was in attendance as protesters convened on the campus of CUNY’s Brooklyn College Thursday afternoon.
Vernikov, 39, was seen “with the butt-end of a firearm protruding from the front portion of her pants” while observing the protest between noon and 2:45 p.m. Thursday, police sources told The Post.
She turned herself in to the 70th Precinct with her lawyer shortly before 3 a.m. Friday.
She surrendered her gun and her firearm permit and was not processed but instead given a desk appearance ticket, they noted.
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
“At no point in time was anyone menaced or injured as a result of her possessing the firearm at the earlier protest,” police sources told The Post.
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Although Vernikov has a concealed carry permit , it is illegal in New York state to have a firearm at sensitive locations such as protests or school grounds. The councilwoman was booked later Friday on a Class E felony, police sources told The Post — which can carry up to two to five years behind bars.
“It is unacceptable and unlawful for a civilian to ever bring a firearm to a rally or protest, and especially important for elected officials to model a respect for the law that is expected of all New Yorkers,” New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams said Friday.
“It is the responsibility of the NYPD and the Brooklyn District Attorney to enforce the law in what is a criminal matter, and the Council will respect that process. The Council is investigating the impact of Council Member Vernikov’s actions and the disposition within the legal process on her participation in the body.”
Vernikov did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
The councilwoman shared a video of herself speaking outside the controversial protest on X Thursday afternoon.
“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,” she wrote alongside the clip.
While Vernikov’s gun was not visible in her own video, other images and footage of the councilwoman with the handgun clearly displayed in her pants quickly made the rounds on social media.
“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,” CUNY4Palestine tweeted alongside one such image.
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“These are the tactics of force and intimidation used by zionist groups to silence any support for Palestine.”
“She should lose her job and the gun license taken away from her,” one attendee commented.
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) October 12, 2023
“This is a domestic terrorist,” a third chimed in.
A few social media users also reposted the photos of Vernikov with her weapon in full view alongside the hashtag “ExpelVernikov.”
