Reports from watchdog group Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) show a boisterous anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstration of hundreds in Times Square on Wednesday night against a Jewish-organized rally to support the Israel Defense Forces.
The New York Post reported that about 300 people attended the pro-Israel rally, which featured a speech by Jonathan Conricus, former spokesperson for the IDF during its ongoing war with Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel.
The Post wrote that the demonstration was reportedly organized by the radical group Within Our Lifetime.
Protesters held up large photos of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr, both assassinated on July 31, as well as flags of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Hamas military brigade Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam. They also made an inverted triangle hand signal identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a symbol of support for Hamas.
Protesters in Times Square Rally Following Assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hizbullah Military Leader Fuad Shukr, Wave Hamas, Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, Hizbullah Flags, Chant: The Martyr Is Beloved by Allah! Israel Is the Enemy of Allah! pic.twitter.com/ZnyOxCbstR
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) August 1, 2024
Video from MEMRI shows Nerdeen Kiswani—an organizer and founder of Within Our Lifetime, as well as a City University of New York law-school graduate criticized for her commencement speech in May 2022—leading a chant of “Israel, we know you! You rape children, too!”
Other slogans yelled at the demonstration included “From New York to Gaza,” “Globalize the intifada” and Allahu Akbar (“God is great”).
