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The city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNY) declined to renew the lease of New York-based drone manufacturer Easy Aerial after activists targeted the company over its reported supply of drone systems to Israel.
The decision was made in January and formally finalized by the Yard’s board last week.
New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler welcomed the company’s departure. He argued that a taxpayer-supported facility should not lease space to firms whose products are “being transformed into weapons of war.”
Easy Aerial is leaving the Brooklyn Navy Yard. @BklynNavyYard leadership made the right decision last month to not renew their lease.
This public asset should not be leasing space to companies producing drones that are being transformed into weapons of war.
— Lincoln Restler (@LincolnRestler) February 11, 2026
A BNY spokesperson said the non-renewal stemmed from business considerations tied to operational and compliance matters.
The activist group “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard” celebrated the outcome online. The group said its campaign “worked to materially impact the supply chains of imperialism, zionism, and fascism.”
In another post, the group signaled additional targets. It declared: “We will keep fighting until the Brooklyn Navy Yard is demilitarized, ICE and IOF suppliers are out of New York, and the resistance continues until Palestine is FREE!”
Activists use the term “IOF” as a derogatory substitute for “IDF,” the Israel Defense Forces. The label seeks to recast Israel’s military as an “occupation force” and undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state. The language reflects a broader pattern in which anti-Israel activists fold longstanding antisemitic tropes into contemporary American political discourse.
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As BDS Politics Gain Ground, Public Institutions Face Pressure
The controversy unfolded amid a broader political climate shaped by support for boycotts targeting Israel. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly endorsed BDS-aligned positions supporting economic pressure against the Jewish state.
No public evidence shows that the mayor, inaugurated on Jan. 1, directed the Yard’s lease decision. However, the surrounding political environment has normalized campaigns that seek to exclude Israel-linked companies from public institutions.
National and state officials criticized the move. U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik called the decision “deeply disturbing” and urged condemnation of what she described as taxpayer-funded antisemitism.
Deeply disturbing.
We need more voices strongly condemning this taxpayer funded antisemitism from the NYC Mayor’s office.
“A NYC manufacturer that supplies drones to Israel to monitor the Gaza Strip border was booted from the city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard six weeks after…
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) February 15, 2026
New York State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger also objected, warning against driving businesses out of New York over hostility toward Jews and Israel.
“Chasing good jobs out of New York because Mr. Mamdani and his friends hate Jews is probably not a very good economic development program.”https://t.co/HESr3aMyoS
— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) February 16, 2026
Easy Aerial co-founder Ido Gur described the decision as “upsetting,” according to reports.
This case involves more than a single lease. When activists demand the removal of “ICE and IOF suppliers,” they push a political litmus test into taxpayer-supported spaces.
Public institutions must not serve campaigns that single out Israel or penalize lawful commercial ties with it.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
