The New York City Police Department took into custody 25 members of Within Our Lifetime on disorderly conduct charges on Thursday morning, the day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to address the U.N. General Assembly.
Activists carried a banner that read “No War Criminals in NYC” and “Stop the Genocide,” referring to Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. They wore black or red shirts with “Not in Our Name” on the front and “Jews Say Ceasefire Now” on the back.
Video showed protesters holding hands to block traffic before police intervened, putting zip ties on their wrists and leading them away for processing.
Approximately 300 demonstrators also gathered at the New York Public Library before marching to the headquarters of the United Nations in the Turtle Bay neighborhood. One held a sign that read “Biden Trump Harris We Hate All U.S. Presidents.”
That evening, anti-Israel activists held a rally outside of Netanyahu’s hotel—the Loews Regency on Park Avenue and E. 62nd St.—where they chanted, “We’re gonna get you” and “We’re gonna drag you.”
Violent clashes between police and activists took place that night at Park Avenue near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Law enforcement reportedly arrested at least 10 people.
“The protesters seek to inspire terror,” Gerard Filitti, senior counsel with #EndJewHatred told JNS. “Without permit or consequence, they take over city streets and even private property, depriving the Jewish community of their legal right to use those same public spaces without fear of intimidation, bullying and even outright violence.”
Filitti pointed out that “Hamas, Hezbollah and the people who support them are not political activists concerned about Palestinian people; they are hate groups committed to the annihilation of the Jewish people.”
