By Katherine Donlevy | New York Post
One of the NYU students who brazenly ripped down posters of Israeli hostages is an activist “extremely passionate about fighting racial profiling” who blamed her behavior on misplaced anger.
Yazmeen Deyhimi — a junior at the top university who once worked for the Anti-Defamation League — admitted to tearing apart banners that were plastered outside NYU’s Tisch Hall, in a shameless act that was caught on video.
Deyhimi came clean on her Instagram account after the action ignited social media outcry and calls for the school to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“I have found it increasingly difficult to know my place as a biracial brown woman, especially during these highly volatile times,” she wrote.
“I have felt more and more frustrated about the time we currently find ourselves in, and that misplaced anger into actions that are not an accurate representation of who I am as a person.”
“In this age of social media and digital footprint, these moments of anger are selfish and self-absorbed, and not reflective of who I am as a person or who my family had raised me to be.”
The post has since been taken down.
The pre-law student apologized for her actions, claiming she unequivocally stands against terrorism and hopes for the safe return of the Israeli hostages.
Deyhimi was quickly identified by her NYU peers shortly after the video went viral, with hundreds of students and social media users calling for the three “cowards” to be punished by NYU.
“Our fear as Jewish students is valid, and the university needs to create an environment where all students feel safe and respected. NYU has a responsibility to take action against any form of discrimination, including antisemitism, in line with its zero-tolerance policy,” a petition, which racked up more than 4,000 signatures since it was launched Tuesday, demanded.
Her accomplice was doxxed as a freshman at the university who serves as a Muslim Youth Leadership Council Member at Advocates for Youth, according to her online profile, while a third student — a male wearing a dark hood — has not yet been identified.
Neither Deyhimi nor her co-conspirator responded to The Post’s request for comment.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Deyhimi is an advocate against Muslim bigotry and spent a summer working with the ADL as a CSC Education Intern when she was just 15 years old.
“After review, we can confirm that one of the participants was part of an ADL high-school level summer internship in 2019,” a spokesperson for the organization told The Post.
“We fully condemn her actions and hope that the apology she issued is the first step towards working to repair the harm and deep hurt her actions caused.”
The ADL has since taken down a blog post announcing the Long Island native as one of the 12 student leaders joining the program, describing Deyhimi as “extremely passionate about fighting racial profiling and championing gender equality.”
The ADL told The Post it made the page private early Tuesday to protect the other 11 students that were in Deyhimi’s cohort.
Deyhimi was featured in a December 2022 New York Times piece on the style choices of NYU students clubbing inside the basement of a shuttered barbershop.
The pre-law student told the Times she was once given an “uneven, shaggy, disgusting” haircut, which she described as the worst she had ever received.
When asked who was responsible for the hack job, Deyhimi responded: “Some white barber from my home, in Long Island.”
It is not clear whether Deyhimi or her accomplices were slapped with any disciplinary action since she admitted to ripping down the posters.
NYU told The Post early Tuesday that it was “seriously” looking into the matter, but did not respond to a request for an update since the pair was identified.
Social media users slammed the school for not standing up for its Jewish students.
More than 200 people have been taken hostage by Hamas, and about 50 more kidnapping victims are being held by other “resistance factions and in other places,” Hamas military officials said Monday.
At least 1,400 people in Israel and 2,808 in Gaza have been killed since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, prompting Israel’s military to prepare an anticipated “integrated and coordinated attack from air, sea and land” in response.
As the war enters its 10th day, President Biden is set to visit Israel on Wednesday. His trip comes as the Israel Defense Forces prepares to invade Gaza to clear out Hamas.
