On Friday, hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators, including high school and college students, marched through Manhattan during the evening rush hour, and several people were arrested after some in the group refused to clear the streets.
The rally began around 3 p.m. at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, with demonstrators standing on the steps shouting “Free Palestine,” while others beat drums and chanted, “From land to sea, Palestine is free.” It will be,” he shouted.
Some protesters at the School of Visual Arts stood in Bryant Park holding giant banners that read “SVA Students Against Genocide.” Others, particularly Hunter College students, held up small placards that read, “CUNY Students Stand Together.”
Students from Wesleyan University and New York University, as well as Midwood High School and Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, also participated in the protests.
Tensions escalated when two men stood on opposite sides of the demonstration holding Israeli and American flags. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to wrench the flag from the man’s hands and tried to shove him before police intervened.
Around 5 p.m., a crowd of about 300 people began marching down Fifth Avenue. Traffic came to a halt as protesters poured into the street.
The group stopped outside the New York Times building, with police guarding the entrance.
“New York Times, we cannot hide you. We charge you with genocide,” rallygoers shouted.
On 8th Avenue, several demonstrators refused to clear the road and were detained for obstructing traffic.
At least eight people were arrested by 6:30 p.m., when the group arrived at Columbus Circle and dispersed, police officials said.
Schools Out for Palestine Walkout and Rally was organized by a coalition of youth-led, educator-led, and parent-led organizations in New York City. These organizations include the Palestinian Youth Movement, Teachers United, and Desis Rising Up. & Moving (DRUM), New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCoRE), NYC Educators for Palestine, and MORE-UFT.
This is the second such demonstration since November, when thousands of students took to the streets to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
The organizations said in a joint statement that those who took part in the strike have since “been the target of unprecedented retaliation by school administrators and Secretary of Energy Banks for speaking out about Israel’s military response in the Palestinian enclave.” “There is,” he said.
“When will the indoctrination end?” asked educator Tovah Plaut, a member of the New York City Public Schools Alliance, in response to Friday’s protests.
“When will educators stop bringing hate into the classroom? Teachers are teaching students misinformation and misdirection that promotes hatred of Jews.”
Michelle Adout, Director of Programming and Strategy at End Jew Hatred, said: They traumatize Jewish students and are nothing but blatant support and propaganda for Hamas.
“Our school officials continue to fail to protect Jewish students and do nothing that contributes to anti-Jewish hatred,” she added.
