Sag Harbor Village police were called to the American Hotel at around 10 p.m. on Friday, following a report of a group of men “causing a disturbance” in the lobby.
Video footage of the incident was posted to the social media platform X the next day, by a group called Planet Over Profit, which describes itself on the page as “using direct action to put people and planet over profit,” and claims to have “150K” followers on Instagram and TikTok.
A young man dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt can be seen yelling at patrons and waitstaff gathered in the bar area, “You’re all here in the Hamptons, enjoying $200 caviar, and so your money isn’t funding an actual fascist regime, disappearing your neighbors — shame on you!” The video then cuts to another view of him and another, similarly dressed young man, being forcibly removed from the restaurant by two waiters.
“Tax the rich, tax the motherf***ing rich,” both men yell repeatedly, and are soon joined in the chant by others in their group.
The restaurant’s manager told police that the group, which he described as consisting of “approximately 10 males,” had left Main Street in two different vehicles just before officers arrived. They had a reservation for that night under the name “Sam Stillwater,” he said, adding that they had been “very loud” from the time they entered, but were forcibly removed after they started screaming while seemingly waiting in the lobby for their table.
On Sunday morning, the group made another appearance, this time at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons during an event called “Brunch with Friends of the Israel Defense Forces,” which featured as a guest Major General Nadav Padan.
Video of that incident was online later that day. It shows a middle-aged man wearing a red T-shirt abruptly standing up during an audience exchange with the speaker. “As a Jewish Long Islander, and in the name of my ancestors who were murdered by the Nazis, I demand an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians,” he yells.
The interviewer can be heard saying, “Please don’t engage with them, everybody,” as other members of the group, some of whom also appear in the American Hotel video, gather around the man, and they all begin to chant “Stop the genocide‚ free Palestine.”
“The Jewish Center of the Hamptons has always strived to be a forum for ideas — even those that may challenge us or push us beyond our comfort zones,” reads a statement released by the center after the event. It goes on to provide a brief summary of the incident, and concludes with a commitment to continue to ensure “that the Jewish Center is a safe and welcoming place — especially important with the approach of the High Holy Days, when the congregation will be gathering in larger numbers.
The intruders staged a final disruption at the Hamptons Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton over the weekend, and posted a video on Tuesday featuring clips of its members, gathered in what they say is “the V.I.P. tent,” repeatedly shouting “Billionaires get off it, put planet over profit.” They were removed from the property by Southampton Town police, and a message accompanying the video stated that they have been “legally barred” from attending next year’s show.
