The home of a Jewish New York Times editor was splattered with red paint by one or multiple pro-Palestine protestors, police said.
The Greenwich Village residence of executive editor Joseph Kahn was targeted in an attack believed to have taken place early Friday morning.
Red paint was discovered on the front steps, walls, sidewalk and lamps outside the entrance to the Fifth Avenue building, where apartments can go for as much as $6.25 million.
The phrase, ‘Joe Kahn Lies, Gaza Dies’ was also found scrawled in black marker on the sidewalk.
Residents called 911 at around 4:45am to report the vandalism. The NYPD told Daily Mail that no arrests have been made and that this remains an active investigation.
Police sources told the New York Daily News that there have been a number of similar protests against Kahn’s home over The New York Times’ coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement to Daily Mail, a spokesperson for The New York Times condemned any deliberate targeting of their employees.
‘People are free to disagree with The New York Times’s reporting but vandalism and targeting of individuals and their families crosses a line and we will work with authorities to address it,’ the spokesperson said.
In April 2022, Kahn was named the executive editor of The New York Times, the highest position in the newsroom.
He is responsible for overseeing all coverage, domestic and global. Previously, he was the number 2 ranking editor and before that, he served in various editing and reporting roles.
Kahn is also the fifth Jewish executive editor at The Times, though he does not actively practice the religion.
His apartment building was previously home to actor Marlon Brando as well as writer Dawn Powell.
Kahn has been in charge all throughout the protracted conflict in Gaza, which flared up once again when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The terrorist blitz claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 Israeli civilians, many of whom were busy enjoying a music festival when Hamas fighters suddenly showed up.
Hamas took about 240 hostages that day. Israel says about 140 hostages have been returned by Hamas and other militant groups and believes there are still 50 Israelis being held in Gaza.
After the October 7 attacks, Israel launched an all-out invasion of Gaza that has persisted for nearly two years.
Israel has been criticized by the protestors and aid organizations the world over, who accuse the nation’s military of cutting off food to Gaza and killing many civilians in its pursuit of Hamas.
So far, more than 63,000 people have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the start of a planned offensive that has drawn further international condemnation.