But on Monday, Mr. Banks said there had been “many rumors and misinformation” about what happened.
“Violence, hate and disorder have no place in our schools,” Mr. Banks, who himself attended Hillcrest in the 1970s, said at a news conference.
“They feel a kindred spirit with the folks of the Palestinian community,” Mr. Banks said, adding that the “notion that these kids are radicalized” was irresponsible.
On Monday, Mr. Banks and other city leaders attempted to quell the mounting online backlash against students at the school.
Some Hillcrest students had openly discussed their plans in the lead-up to Nov. 20, the two teachers said.
Persons:
David C, Banks, “, ”, Eric Adams, ” Melinda Katz, councilwoman, Queens —, “ What’s, Eric Dinowitz, Mr, Adams, Donovan Richards, Muhammad Ghazali
Organizations:
Queens, Hillcrest High, Israel, New York Post, Hillcrest, Twitter, City, Jewish, of Education, ”, Department of Education
Locations:
York City, Israel, Queens, Hillcrest, borough’s, “, San Francisco, “ Palestine, New York City, Jamaica, ”