Former Mayor Ed Koch and Congressman Jerrold Nadler denouncing Charles Barron in front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Former Mayor Ed Koch, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Councilman David Greenfield, Assemblyman Dov Hikind gathered with several other elected officials in front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park this morning for a press conference billed as an effort " to Denounce Charles Barron as Enemy of the State of Israel" and the Jewish community. The politicos who showed up at the event where longtime councilman Mr. Barron was branded "hateful," a "scary monster," "anti-Semite" and "bigot" also expressed their support for his rival in the congressional race, Hakeem Jeffries.

"What prompted me ... speaking of people that just are not familiar with Charles' record and they just dont know who Charles Barron is, that's a very scary thing. Right?" asked Councilman Greenfield, who organized the event. "People are not familiar that there's an individual who's running, who we all know very well, who is an anti-Semite, who's a hate-monger and who's a bigot. I think it's very important for us to educate the public and let them know who this individual is."

Like Mr. Greenfield, the other elected officials at the press conference said they felt it was important to make people aware of controversial statements Mr. Barron has made about Jews, in support of foreign dictators and comments critical of Israel.

"We usually have elections in this country, in this city where the differences are differences of degree, you like this one better than that one, this one is more effective, this one is a little more liberal, that one is a little more conservative. And sometimes, there's real rhetoric about this one is terrible. Usually, that's not true," Mr. Nadler said. "This time it is true. You've got a reasonable candidate and a digraceful, dangerous candidate. That is very rare and we have to make sure people understand that."

Mr. Nadler was specifically concerned by Mr. Barron's statements comparing the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians to the holocaust. He carried a few selected quotes made by Mr. Barron on a small slip of paper.

"When he compared what the Israelis are doing in Gaza to the conditions Nazis imposed on the Jews. Where is the Auchswitz? I mean, come on. That is so irresponsible, and so libelous and so disgusting," said Mr. Nadler. "To compare Israel to Nazis, calling what Israel's doing genocide? Israel's trying to survive in a tough neighborhood....They're not doing anything like Nazis. To even put them in the same universe is a disgrace to the English language....His election to Congress, to some extent, would legitimize this kind of anti-Semitic discourse and we don't need that."

In addition to Mr. Barron's criticisms of Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, the elected officials also referenced statements he has made praising the foreign dictators Mummar Qadaffi and Robert Mugabe, and a remark he made implying blacks are the "Semitic people" rather than Jews. The participants at the press conference said they felt it was especially important to raise awareness about Mr. Barron's record because the race for the congressional seat being vacated by Ed Towns is the only contest in the upcoming June 26 election.

Mr. Koch, who described Mr. Barron's past remarks as "vicious"  explained that it was an "unusual election" that might not has "as high a turnout" as a vote with more offices on the table. The ex-mayor said he expected Mr. Barron's supporters would get to the polls, but he believed others would "rush to the polls" to vote for Mr. Jeffries if they were aware of Mr. Barron's history.

"That's why we're here. We're saying Barron is no good. I can tell you. I knew him," Mr. Koch said. "Now Hakeem Jeffries is a unique guy. He's a star....I admire him. He's a first class guy who would represent this district in a first class way."

Mr. Nadler clarified that they saw no indication Mr. Barron was likely to win, but they want to make sure he has no chance in a low interest, low turnout race.

"If you have a demagogue like Charles Barron, he's got his little group. They will come out to vote because they're his group and everybody else, very few might come out to vote. So, we're here to warn people that this is a very important election," said Mr. Nadler. "We're not here to say that we particularly see a great outswelling of support, God forbid, for Charles Barron. But he's got his group, they will vote."

All of the politicians in attendance said they would be endorsing Mr. Jeffries and would give him their support. Mr. Hikind, who said he had not spoken to Mr. Jeffries about the event, described the race as a "no brainer" for local leaders and voters.

It is worth noting here that Mr. Jeffries did not attend the event, and it is unclear how the support of a handful of Jewish pols will help him in a district that remains majority African-American and decidedly liberal.

"I really feel that Hakeem Jeffries is a superstar. He's really a solid political figure, a community leader, articulate, you name it," Mr. Hikind said. "The people need to look at the entire picture....I think if they look at everything, they will see, hey, you can get a superstar, or you can get somebody who's a racist. Make your pick, make your choice."

Congressman Bob Turner (Getty)

Congressman Bob Turner released a press release earlier this afternoon regarding the hate crime that took place in Flatbush early this morning leaving three cars torched and anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on nearby benches. The crime occurred outside his district, but Congressman Turner is never shy about seeking goodwill in the Jewish community.  

“These anti-Semitic acts of vandalism and arson are appalling and unacceptable. We cannot allow acts like this to take place in our communities. The individuals who did this should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Congressman Turner said.

Congressman Turner doesn't represent Flatbush, but his perch in the 9th Congressional District boasts a large Jewish population and the Catholic Congressman managed to win September's special election to replace disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner by aggressively courting the Jewish vote. Since then, he has continued to pay a great deal of attention to Jewish issues.

“I have been a member of this community my entire life and know that it is one of tolerance and understanding; A community that prides itself on its rich Jewish history and interfaith cooperation. New York is a tremendous melting pot of people of all races and faiths and we are proud of that tradition," Congressman Turner said.

Congressman Turner lives South of Flatbush in the predominantly Irish neighborhood of Breezy Point. It was not immediately clear which community he was referring to in his statement about the arson.

Councilman David G. Greenfield (Photo: New York City Council)

Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for an anti-Semitic attack on Flatbush. Three cars were torched. Graffiti featuring swastikas. the phrase "Kill The Jews" and "KKK" were also scrawled on benches near the scene.

“We will not accept anti-Semitism in our community.  There is zero tolerance for such acts of hatred and ignorance,” Councilman Greenfield said in a statement.

Officers from the 66th Precinct and the NYPD hate crimes task force are investigating the attack, which occurred on Ocean Parkway between Avenues I and J. Police believe the incident occurred sometime around five this morning.

“I’m confident that these hateful people will be caught and punished to the full extent of the law,” Councilman Greenfield said.

Danny "Lotion Man" Cline occupying Wall Street. (Photo: YouTube.com/AmazingStrangersNYC)

Viral video star Danny "Lotion Man" Cline was removed from the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park by police early this morning and taken to New York Downtown Hospital for a psychological evaluation following days of allegedly disturbing behavior and an incident where he allegedly forcibly hugged a female protester and threw himself on top of someone's tent. Footage of Mr. Cline has been used by conservative media outlets eager to show "the dark side of the Occupy Wall Street protests."

Mr. Cline, who describes himself as "The Lotion Man" gained notoriety early last month when he was spotted by a writer for the National Review Online who filmed him hurling anti-Semitic taunts at a yarmulke-clad man in Zuccotti Park. A group called Emergency Committee for Israel, which was co-founded by conservative pundit Bill Kristol, subsequently used the footage in a commercial made to paint the protests as anti-Semitic.

Mr. Cline was first discovered in September by Bob Hain (a.k.a. Normal Bob Smith), who regularly videotapes people in Union Square. Mr. Hain captured footage of Mr. Cline running through the Square, slathering sunscreen on himself, piercing his tongue with an earring, starting fights with another man and repeatedly shouting the N-word. Last month, Mr. Hain also filmed Mr. Cline in Zuccotti Park.

"I met Matt Broderick, and Susan Sarandon, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Moore. They know the Lotion Man, they know me. Listen, I run this park. You know how I do in Union, I do it here better," Mr. Cline said of his time at Occupy Wall Street.

Various videos featuring Mr. Cline have amassed over 130,000 views on YouTube.

Late Sunday night, the Observer spotted Mr. Cline running through Zuccotti Park with his pants falling well below his waist exposing a pair of pink briefs. He wore a Mets jacket over his naked chest and ran through the park falling on tents and yelling at protesters. At approximately 3 a.m. Monday morning, we witnessed a commotion on the South side of the park. We walked over and found Mr. Cline sitting on the ground across the street from the park surrounded by eleven police officers. The cops asked Mr. Cline if he had taken any drugs and explained they were sending him to the hospital.

"They're the ones who've got a problem with me, I don't have a problem," Mr. Cline told us pointing toward the other protesters in the park.

Mr. Cline repeatedly asked the police officers to give him a cigarette. They declined.

"It's supposed to be a quiet Sunday, you're ruining my Sunday," one of the officers said to Mr. Cline as she lit a cigarette for herself.

After the police put Mr. Cline on an ambulance, we asked the protesters what had transpired. A man who said his name was Cody told us Mr. Cline jumped on top of his tent several times while he was sleeping. Another man, who said he was part of Occupy Wall Street's security team and declined to give his name, told us the situation began after Mr. Cline "came up and wrapped his arms around a girl and said, 'I'd like to kiss you.'" According to the security team member, he was attempting to calm Mr. Cline when they were both knocked on top of Cody's tent.

Several of the protesters said Mr. Cline had been a problematic presence in the park for quite some time.

"That guy's been disruptive for three days, he's not part of the movement," a protester named Frank Grove said.

"He exposes his genitalia and also he did it in front of a ten-year-old the other day. He's usually intoxicated," a woman named Kimberly told us.

A source with the NYPD told the Observer Mr. Cline was not arrested and is "in the care of the hospital."

"He was just creating somewhat of a disturbance and psychological evaluation needed to be conducted due to his mannerisms," the source said.