Occupy Wall Street zombies — yes, they still exist — organized another downtown “rally” early Friday morning, but this time they chose an odd target: not voracious banker billionaires, but a popular TV show.
A few dozen occupiers vandalized the set of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which was designed to resemble the now-cleared tent city in Zuccotti Park. The show was filming a ripped-from-the-headlines episode in Foley Square based on OWS.
“They were exploiting the movement,’’ complained one demonstrator to The Post.
Forget the irony of occupiers with MacBooks destroying the work of unionized carpenters and electricians who had toiled by night to build the set. What’s distressing is that the city buckled yet again to the anarchic threats and impulses of a few entitled jerks — announcing shortly after midnight that NBC’s filming permit had been revoked.
That’s simply unacceptable — but it is understandable.
Intimidation is in the marrow of OWS. It was present when occupiers defaced police cars, when they blocked off the Brooklyn Bridge to keep commuters from getting home, when the drum circles drove downtown residents insane every night — and every time they picked a fight with cops.
It was the snarling war song of their campaign: We do what we want, when we want, no matter what the law says or what civilization demands.
This sneering coercion was present in everything about Zuccotti — as was a threat of violence.
In the park, things were no different, as self-appointed security squads made up of former gang members and “martial-arts experts” created their own police force. Even so, rapes, thefts, fights and drug use were rampant.
Yes, the Zuccotti termite pile was leveled.
But occupiers are no more tractable.
There was the “L&O” incident, of course. But OWS drones are now a regular and threatening presence all over town.
They routinely take over public hearings of the Department of Education — intimidating into silence city officials trying to discuss matters like school curriculum with eager parents.
No surprise — they are aided, abetted and amply financed by the United Federation of Teachers.
Next week, DOE officials will hold another public meeting in Queens — the first since announcing their plan to close 25 failing schools in the city.
It will no doubt be overrun by occupiers and their UFT controllers; the union is determined to keep those schools open, no matter how much damage they do to city students.
No doubt they’ll attempt to apply the heckler’s veto to these hearings, too.
The question is how long Mayor Bloomberg intends to allow flying squads of bully boys to operate unmolested.
It’s been going on far too long already.