Amelia ‘Amy’ Fuller at a pro-Hamas rally in New York City. Photo: Screenshot
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) said this week that it fired an employee who was caught on film saying she felt “proud” about the deadly Hamas terrorist attack that took place in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
The nonprofit organization Jew Hate Database shared the video exposing Amelia “Amy” Fuller, a graduate of George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia and former member of GMU’s Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA).
Fuller was filmed making the comment at a pro-Hamas rally outside New York City’s Plaza Hotel earlier this week. Fellow protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” held signs that read “Hamas 4 A Free Palestine,” and one individual was filmed saying, “Oct. 7 was one of the greatest days of my life.” In the clip, Fuller wore a keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf worn in the Middle East that has become a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance against Israel.
Fuller graduated from GMU with a Bachelor of Arts in environmental and sustainability studies and with a minor in biology. She was a “lead digitizer” at the NYBG, a historic botanical garden located in New York City, and worked at the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium.
NYBG said in a statement on Tuesday that it terminated Fuller’s employment after seeing the video of her making the “disturbing” remark about the Oct. 7 attack.
“We take this matter very seriously, and following an immediate investigation, this individual is no longer employed by NYBG. The celebration of violence and loss of life shown in this video does not reflect NBG’s values in any way,” the statement further said. “We mourn the tragic and ongoing suffering and loss of life in Israel and Gaza and urgently hope for peace.”
Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 240 others as hostages during their Oct. 7 invasion of Israel.
“NYBG is committed to being a safe and positive environment for people of all backgrounds, creeds, and beliefs,” the botanical gardens added in its statement. “NYBG is a place of joy and respite, and we are dedicated to it being a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
