Some 100 anti-Israel protesters who set out to march into Crown Heights, a heavily Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., were rerouted by New York City police on Monday evening during a protest that stretched more than three hours.
The demonstration came days after hundreds gathered outside 770 Eastern Parkway, the world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, on the evening of April 24 to protest the presence of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was attending a Jewish celebration.
The New York City Police Department told JNS that at about 8 p.m., it “responded to a scheduled demonstration at the Barclays Center, within the confines of the 78th Precinct.”
Robert Mills, 40, of Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with obstructing governmental administration, and Kirin Lawrence, 20, of Manhattan, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, according to the NYPD.
A flier for the Monday evening protest circulated online stating that organizers intended to “flood the streets of Crown Heights” and informing residents that “Zionism is not welcome.” The Crown Heights Community Council warned residents to avoid the protest.
“The Vaad Hakohol is fully updated on the situation and has been in direct contact with the relevant law enforcement and security agencies, including senior officials of the NYPD,” the council stated. “We have confirmed to our satisfaction that a comprehensive security plan is in place, and the protesters will not be permitted to come into direct contact with the Crown Heights Jewish community.”
“We strongly urge community members not to engage with the protesters,” it stated. “Their goal is to provoke a response that could bring negative consequences to our community.”
‘Breakaway group’
At last Thursday’s protest outside 770 Eastern Parkway, two women—an anti-Israel protester and a bystander—were assaulted during the demonstration, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated on Sunday. Both incidents remain under investigation.
The bystander, a woman in her 30s and a neighborhood resident, initially came to witness the demonstration but alleged that she was later chased, spat upon and kicked by a group of Orthodox Jewish men, the Associated Press reported.
Motti Seligson, director of media at Chabad, condemned both the antisemitic protesters who targeted the Jewish neighborhood and those who carried out assaults.
“The violent provocateurs, who called for the genocide of Jews in support of terrorists and terrorism outside a synagogue in a Jewish neighborhood, where some of the worst antisemitic violence in American history was perpetrated and where many residents share deep bonds with the victims of Oct 7, did so in order to intimidate, provoke and instill fear,” he stated.
“We condemn the crude language and violence of the small breakaway group of young people,” he said. “Such actions are entirely unacceptable and wholly antithetical to the Torah’s values.”
“The fact that a possibly uninvolved bystander got pulled into the melee further underscores the point,” he added.