Pro-Palestinian protesters marched through the streets of a historically Jewish neighborhood in New York City on Monday, waving the flag of the terrorist group Hezbollah and hurling anti-Semitic slurs. The activists descended on Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood in an attempt to disrupt an Israeli real estate event at Young Israel Synagogue.
Protest Details
Footage shared on social media showed flocks of protesters chanting 'free Palestine,' 'death to the IDF,' 'globalize the intifada,' and 'brick by brick, wall by wall, Zionism will fall' as they walked through the community. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and signs calling to 'Abolish Israel' and urging Jewish people to 'stop selling stolen land.'
A protester leading the march was criticized for waving the Hezbollah flag, which is yellow and green and features a hand holding a stylized assault rifle. Other shocking footage captured an apparently aggressive demonstrator flashing a strobe light in the eyes of a young Jewish boy.
Arrests and Injuries
Four people were arrested during the protest, the NYPD told the Daily Mail on Tuesday. Police declined to provide details about the detainees or whether they face charges. At least one NYPD officer was injured during a fight over barriers, according to The Jerusalem Post. The officer was taken to a local hospital with a leg injury; his current condition remains unknown.
Clashes with Counter-Protesters
Videos shared online showed chaotic scenes of Jewish men wearing kippahs and masked pro-Palestine protesters physically fighting in the streets. At least one woman was pulled backward by her hair, though the footage does not show how the conflict erupted. NYPD officers were forced to intervene and separate the groups. A cordon was in place to prevent protesters from marching directly on the synagogue, but demonstrators wrestled with police over the barriers. Police tackled demonstrators to the ground and escorted some away in handcuffs.
Witnesses said that Jewish demonstrators responded to pro-Palestinian chants with pro-IDF chants, shouting 'The people of Israel live' in Hebrew, according to The Times of Israel. A handful also sang in Hebrew: 'May your village burn.' One pro-Israel demonstrator was arrested after throwing eggs at other demonstrators, according to photographers at the event.
Organizers and Context
Monday's protest was organized by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Al-Awda in New York City and New Jersey (PAL-Awda NY/NJ). The group announced the demonstration on its Instagram page last Friday, stating they were targeting a second Israeli real estate expo. PAL-Awda NY/NJ also held a demonstration outside Park East Synagogue last Tuesday.
'After their Manhattan event, the same Israeli real estate agencies are hosting an event in Brooklyn for settlers to buy property in "Anglo neighborhoods" on stolen Palestinian land. They blatantly advertise illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, such as Gush Etzion, Kfar Eldad, and Karnei Shomron, violating international law,' the group said in its post. 'Further, as attendance is restricted to Jewish people with particular political orientations, the event is in direct violation of housing and anti-discrimination laws.'
After last week's PAL-Awda NY/NJ protest, the city implemented new legislation allowing NYPD to establish 'buffer zones' around houses of worship. Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a similar bill in April that would have allowed buffer zones around schools, museums, and teaching hospitals.
