NY public defender resigns after tearing down Israeli hostage posters: Report

A New York public defender has reportedly resigned after she was filmed tearing down posters of hostages missing in the Israel-Hamas war.

The New York County Defender Services said that Victoria Ruiz, 36, had resigned “effective immediately,” Fox News Digital reported.

The group StopAntisemitism posted a video Sunday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, of Ruiz taking down posters of the missing hostages.

“New York County public defender Victoria Ruiz caught removing posters of Israeli children kidnapped by Hamas terrorists,” the account posted. “It is absolutely unacceptable for someone with such bias and hate to serve in your office @nyc_defenders.”

The person filming Ruiz repeatedly asked, “Why are you taking down pictures of missing children?” Ruiz did not respond and walked away.

The posted a link to Ruiz’s profile on the New York County Defender website — as well as a screenshot of it — but her page on the site no longer exists.

The Hill has reached out to both the New York Public Defenders office and StopAntisemitism for comment.

Hamas has held more than 200 hostages since its initial attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which left more than 1,400 Israelis dead. The hostages include an unknown number of Americans.