On Monday night, at the 107th Infantry Memorial on the edge of Central Park along Fifth Avenue, pro-Palestinian protesters burned an American flag and defaced the monument to World War I foot soldiers, leaving it covered in graffiti.

Mayor Eric Adams responded with outrage on Tuesday.

At a hastily arranged news conference at the statue, he announced he was putting up $5,000 of his own money as a reward for catching those responsible, on top of the $10,000 reward being offered by the NYPD.

“They are crimes, and they will be treated as one,” the mayor said. “We cannot remain silent when our symbols of freedom are desecrated by individuals who clearly hate our country and hate our way of life.”

Crews spent the morning cleaning both the World War I monument and the General Sherman Memorial at 59th Street, which was also defaced with graffiti.

The vandalism came as pro-Palestinian protesters spilled into the streets on the Upper East Side on Monday night, including near the Met Gala.

Adams has been increasingly critical of some of the protesters’ tactics, particularly when it comes to desecrating the American flag.

“In spite of the unpopular notion that people don’t want to say it, I want to say it: I love America,” Adams said. “I love America.”

At his weekly question-and-answer session with reporters, the mayor also responded to Columbia University’s decision to cancel its main commencement ceremony following the upheaval of recent weeks.

“Listen, I felt that we should go through” with the ceremony, Adams said.

The mayor was careful not to criticize university leaders, but made clear he believed the city could have ensured an orderly ceremony.

“Graduation is so important. And remember who these children are,” he said. “We took away their graduation during COVID. Now we’re taking away their graduation this year, during protests.”