Cops brace for anti-Israel unrest at Met Gala as ‘Day of Rage’ planned at nearby Hunter College

The NYPD was bracing for possible unrest to rock Monday’s star-studded Met Gala, law enforcement sources told The Post — as anti-Israel groups held a “Day of Rage” protest at CUNY’s nearby Hunter College.

Police security was heightened in and around the Metropolitan Museum of Art as A-listers started descending on the iconic Upper East Side venue for the glitzy gala Monday evening, sources said.

No specific threats have been identified so far for Fashion’s Biggest Night — but everything is on the table, a police source noted, adding that protests in the vicinity were widely expected.

“We are using every tool at our disposal,” a source said. “We approach this like we do all large-scale events — examining information and applying it to a measured and calculated response should the need arise.”

Another source added, “The Met Gala is a large event that draws an international audience.

“There are regular peaceful protests that occur in the vicinity. Working in partnership with private-sector partners, we will ensure a safe event for all.”

The development came as the anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime issued a rallying cry for protesters to swarm Hunter College — roughly a mile from the museum — for a “Citywide Day of Rage for Gaza” kicking off at 5 p.m.

Jeffrey Lax, CUNY professor of law and director of Students, Alumni, and Faculty for Equality on Campus — known as S.A.F.E. Campus — told The Post on Monday afternoon that the rally is a cause for concern.

“In the Middle East, Day of Rage doesn’t mean you walk up to a Jew and say, ‘I’m enraged,’ ” Lax said in a phone interview. “It means you go and you harm Jews. You cause injuries or death to Jews. So yes, I would be very concerned.”

The demonstration comes as colleges and universities across the Big Apple and the nation have been rocked with anti-Israel demonstrations and encampments – some of which officials recently said were bolstered by “outside agitators.”

Lax said he believes the trouble began at CUNY.

“CUNY is responsible for the domino [effect], because I was talking about this for months and years about what was developing at CUNY,” he said. “Obviously, we’re in the city with the densest Jewish population in the country. We’re the largest urban university in the United States.”

“And I said from the very beginning, if CUNY does not [come] down on this hard, strongly with authority and stop this anti-semitism, that this would quickly spread all across the country, and that’s exactly what happened,” the professor added. “I’ve never been so disappointed to be right about something my entire life. I wish that I was wrong.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if Monday’s anti-Israel demonstrators had any plans to try to disrupt the gala.

But anti-Israel protesters have tried to derail Big Apple life of late.

Within Our Lifetime, which is spearheaded by CUNY Law graduate Nerdeen Kiswani, is the same organization that shut down the Brooklyn Bridge last month as hundreds of protesters, including some chanting, “Death to America!,” stormed across.

They also descended on CUNY’s Harlem campus last week in a night of unrest that saw a slew of protesters cuffed and hauled away.

When asked about the possibility of a Met Gala disruption, Lax said he couldn’t say for sure “what might happen.

“But I can say that all New Yorkers and all Americans should be concerned by this group and similar groups,” Lax said. “Within Our Lifetime has had, in the very recent past, a long history already of blocking highways, blocking public roads, blocking public public transportation, like trains and buses.

“I mean, it’s obvious if you look at their tactics, if you look at what they’re doing, all they’re trying to do is destroy American infrastructure to destroy America,” he added.

“Any American, any New Yorker, certainly who’s in that area on that day should certainly be concerned and take precautions — absolutely. I don’t think this is a Jewish thing. I do think they’re antisemitic. This is not just that. This is an anti-American thing. And that’s what it’s always been. Jews are just the low-hanging fruit.”

Members of the Condé Nast workers union had already threatened to create a scene at the Met Gala, which is thrown by the media company’s grande dame Anna Wintour.

But Conde higher-ups announced late Sunday that there is a tentative contract agreement with the union representing employees of the glossy magazine publisher, sparing embarrassment for Wintour on the red carpet.