Mayor Adams slams anti-Semitic ‘Parade’ protesters: ‘Not where hate lives’
anti-Semitic neo-Nazi protesters targeted the musical “Parade,” Mayor Eric Adams took the stage before Thursday night’s performance to declare the theater “is not a place where hate lives.”“We have the largest Jewish population outside of Tel Aviv,” Adams said as he addressed the audience at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.“And when you come out and really cross-pollinate with ideas and culture, that’s the beauty and that’s the symbol of New York City.”He continued: “When we fill a theater, we send a message out there that this is not a place where hate lives.”The Tony-winning “Parade” stars “Dear Evan Hansen” actor Ben Platt, 29, and Micaela Diamond, 23, of “The Cher Show.” Both are Jewish-Americans.A post shared by Parade on Broadway (@paradebway)Set in 1913, the Broadway musical is inspired by Jewish factory boss Leo Frank, who was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering 13-year-old employee Mary Phagan.After his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, Frank was kidnapped from his cell and lynched by an anti-Semitic mob.Following Frank’s murder, evidence from the case pointed to Jim Conley, the factory’s janitor, as the actual killer.