Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police in New York City this weekend after weeks of increasingly raucous protests across the country. New York has been the epicenter of the anti-Israel protests, including large student demonstrations at several local colleges.
The demonstration in Brooklyn saw multiple clashes with police. About 250 demonstrators blocked a roadway in the New York City borough, leading to police moving them to the sidewalks.
The protesters pushed back against the police and at least one threw a water bottle at law enforcement.
At least a dozen people were arrested during the Saturday demonstration.
New York plans a large pro-Israel demonstration on June 2.
Protesters chanted a number of slogans, including one that insulted President Joe Biden. Photographs also showed the clashes between the protesters and the police on the rainy day.
“They told us to stop. But we will not rest. Until this city divests. Free free Palestine,” said the demonstrators. Some were carrying Palestinian flags and wearing masks. At least one person held a flag with an Islamist message on it.
The weekend protests followed similar demonstrations earlier this week in nearby Queens.
The demonstrations also followed an attack on several Jewish students playing on a sidewalk.
Video shows man brutally kicking and beating Orthodox Jewish kids playing on NYC sidewalk https://t.co/oKS2LMmb92 pic.twitter.com/tSvwgM3bPe
— New York Post (@nypost) May 16, 2024
Much of the current wave of protests began at Columbia University, which has seen multiple significant incidents. Earlier this year student protesters occupied an academic building, requiring a police response to clear them out. This included more than 100 arrests, including of the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
In addition, following the occupation and removal, students set up a tent city in one of the major squares on campus. Students also occupied another academic building, including smashing windows and chanting anti-Israel slogans.
The protests at Columbia sparked a wave of unrest at other campuses, including at New York University, where students pelted police officers with bottles. In one incident, one demonstrator hit an officer with a chair.
The protests expanded to other campuses, including Harvard, where a Jewish student was stabbed in the eye by a Palestinian flag.
