South Queens, NY – In an act outraging the entire Queens community and peace-loving people worldwide, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside Shri Tulsi Mandir was vandalized for a second time. This time, the statue was totally destroyed and graffitied with obscene names. Vandals also graffitied the mandir grounds and 111th Street asphalt.

I have spoken with Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and 106th Precinct Commanding Officer Captain Jerome Bacchi. They are taking this incident seriously and investigating it as a possible hate crime. I call for the perpetrators to be apprehended swiftly, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Since the targeting of the Gandhi statue and the Hindu Temple, I have received an outpouring of support not just in Queens, but from people all around the world. I have spoken with government leaders across the country. All are committed to re-doubling our efforts to combat anti-Hindu hate. We always knew that defeating hate would not be accomplished in one day, one week, or even one year.We are committed to this fight for the long term, and will use the Hindu principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and satyagraha (soul force) that guided Gandhi himself and later the great American civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gandhi said, “Hatred can be overcome only by love.” With the support we have received all around Queens, the City, the Country, and the world, I am more optimistic than ever that we will succeed in defeating these forces of hate.