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A Big Apple teacher under investigation for praising Hamas’ Oct. 7 mastermind cowardly covered his face when he returned to his Brooklyn school Monday – as fuming parents called for him to be fired.
Damien Neva was back at PS 77 in Park Slope after his sick comments praising Yahya Al-Sinwar, the bloodthirsty former leader of the terrorist group in Gaza, were brought to light in a new lawsuit.
“Long live Yahya Al-Sinwar,” Neva boasted in a group chat with other terrorist sycophants, according to the suit.
Parents at the school told The Post that the 48-year-old failed fashion photographer-turned-teacher doesn’t belong in the classroom if he holds such sick views – and the city’s education officials should do something about it.
“It’s disgusting,” one 5th-grade dad said.
“If he’s still teaching here, it’s disgusting, both on him and on the school that’s holding on to him. No one who praises terrorists deserves to be a teacher,” the furious father raged.
“If you praise a guy like [Sinwar], that means that some part of you believes that murdering innocent people is morally justifiable.”
A grandmother at the school said that the Hamas-loving teacher is not someone she wants near her grandchildren.
“I believe the Palestinian people deserve statehood, but Sinwar was a terrorist,” she said.
“He killed for the sake of killing, and to speak of him like he did something good – that’s not okay, and [Neva] is not someone I want near my grandchildren.
“They should fire him. I’m surprised they haven’t fired him already.”
Neva made headlines after his antisemitic rants were made public in a lawsuit filed by the Park Slope Food Coop, where the controversial teacher allegedly led efforts to boycott Israeli goods.
He posted his praise for Sinwar during a group chat in November 2024, the suit said.
State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz called it all “appalling.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has killed countless people, including Americans,” Dinowitz said.
“I don’t think someone like that should be teaching our kids.”
The city Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Karen Feldman, a Big Apple teacher and founder of The NYC Public School Alliance, said that Neva is not an “isolated case” – and the DOE needs to take action to send a message.
“This is not about one offensive post or one teacher’s political views. It is about who NYCPS [New York City Public Schools] is allowing to stand in front of our children. This teacher publicly praised Yahya al-Sinwar, the Hamas leader and murder mastermind responsible for the October 7 massacre,” Feldman told The Post.
“And he is not an isolated case,” she continued.
“This is not about policing political beliefs. It is about professional judgment, student safety and the basic responsibility of a school system to know who it is putting in front of children. Our classrooms should be safe places for all children.”
