By Dan Murphy
Yonkers resident and homeowner Samir Nofal has received an outpouring of support after he received an anonymous threatening letter demanding that he take down the several Palestinian flags that he hung around his lawn.
The letter reads, “Palestine flags around your property instead of American flags? If you love Palestine so much, go back. We don’t want you here.
“We contacted Tom Homan, the border czar and Mark Wayne Mullen, to make sure you are here legally. Your house is now under surveillance. They will be watching 24/7.
“You brought this on yourselves being obnoxious with the Palestinian flags. You have no respect for this country otherwise you would have American flags instead of Palestinian. This is why we don’t want you here.
“Remove the flags immediately. Do not force us to go further with this issue. City of Yonkers Residents.”
Samir reported the letter to the Yonkers Police, who are investigating, as is DA Susan Cacace.
Samir appeared on numerous news shows to show his courage in the face of hate, and vowed to double the number of flags on his property. We included a photo of the large Palestinian flag on Samir’s property; he also has about 40 smaller flags along a rope line.
“After letting my kids know, my wife know, [and] the family know about the situation, we doubled the flags,” Nofal said. “I am a proud Yonkers resident, and displaying a Palestinian flag does not make me any less American or any less deserving of safety and respect.”
Mayor Mike Spano said, “I strongly disagree with the tone and vitriol of this letter. Everyone has a right to express their views, just as this family has a right to fly their flag. We may disagree, but we are Americans and neighbors. There is no place for hate in Yonkers.
County Executive ken Jenkins said, “Harassing, intimidating, or threatening your neighbors because you object to them peacefully displaying support for their Palestinian heritage is unacceptable. There is no place for that kind of behavior in Westchester County. All Americans, regardless of their heritage or background, have the right to free speech. Just as we must stand against racism, antisemitism, and hatred directed toward any community, we must also stand against hatred and discrimination directed toward Palestinians. Palestinian Americans and Palestinian families who call Westchester home are part of the fabric of our County. They are our neighbors, friends, colleagues and community members, and they deserve the same dignity, respect and sense of belonging as everyone who lives here. We take concerns about intimidation and discrimination seriously, and we are committed to engaging the Westchester County Human Rights Commission to ensure these concerns are appropriately reviewed and addressed.”
Many other elected officials, in Yonkers and across Westchester, posted their statements in support of Samir. One of the most thoughtful was from Councilwoman Deana Norman, who wrote, “I am disgusted and deeply disturbed by the hateful and threatening letter sent to the Nofal family at their home here in Yonkers. No family should ever be made to feel unsafe or unwelcome in their own home because of their culture, religion, heritage, or beliefs. I stand in solidarity with the Nofal family and with every resident who has ever been targeted because of who they are or where they come from.
“Yonkers is a melting pot. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and we are proud to be a city that is home to people of different cultures, religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds. There is no place in our community for hate, intimidation, or threats.
“People should be able to proudly embrace their heritage and express who they are without fearing for the safety of themselves or their families. A threat against one family’s sense of safety and belonging should concern all of us.
“I am thankful that the Yonkers Police Department is investigating this matter, and I hope the individual responsible is identified and held accountable in accordance with the law.
“To the Nofal family: you are part of the Yonkers community, you belong here, and you do not stand alone. We stand with you against hate and intimidation and remain committed to ensuring that Yonkers continues to be a community where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” stated Norman.
Some facts:
Samir is a Yonkers homeowner who has lived in Yonkers for 10 years.
The City of Yonkers holds NUMEROUS flag-raising ceremonies for Yonkers residents who are proud of their heritage.
During both the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Columbus Day Parade in Yonkers, the Irish and Italian flags are raised not only in the parade, but outside of homes across the city.
It is also ironic, in our view, that Samir, who is being called un-American for using his First Amendment right to display a flag on his own property, sounded more “American” than the author of this letter.
Now, let’s take this one step further. In Croton last year (2025), resident Leonard Amicola placed a flag that read, “Trump is My President” on his property.
The Village of Croton took the unusual step of issuing a violation and appearance ticket to Amicola for violating the Croton Zoning Code.
That resulted in nationwide attention for what most believed was a violation of Amicola’s
First Amendment rights, and the Village dismissing the violation.
Leonard “Lenny” Amicola, a disabled Vietnam vet who has lived in Croton-on-Hudson for 67 years and has flown pro-Trump banners since 2021.
So we ask our readers: yes, we all agree, except the author of the letter to Samir, that Nofal was within his rights to place the flags on his property.
But do you also agree that supporters of Trump, like Amicola, have that same right to post MAGA signs or Pro-Trump signs?
We hope so.