A hastily organized rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris descended into chaos when anti-Israel protesters invaded the New York rally and then burst into the after-party venue, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the outdoor space.
Several demonstrators opposed to Israel’s military operation in Gaza were chased away from a Harlem Democratic rally, where Mayor Eric Adams delivered an impassioned speech.
“Make sure you vote,” Hizzoner yelled as disruptors were dragged out of the small venue in northern Manhattan.
Adams joined other prominent state Democrats, including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is no relation to the mayor, and Gov. Kathy Hockal, in endorsing the party’s presidential candidate.
“Everybody on this stage right now comes from different political positions and doesn’t necessarily agree with the same things,” he said.
“But the ability to put yourself in the position of a real fight… that’s what the real fight is.”
The protest took an ugly turn after protesters were removed from the main rally, which sources said was not attended by Harris or her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, outside a restaurant where up to 25 protesters were gathered.
Video from the scene showed a group of about 50 angry protesters even stormed into the Bird in Hand restaurant on Broadway and West 146th Street as stunned diners looked on.
Other videos showed police detaining rioters as the crowd surrounded them, with whistles and horns being blasted and smoke bombs being fired during the commotion.
Additional footage shows one protester attempting to hit officers with a cardboard sign, after which several officers grabbed him and arrested him on the sidewalk.
At another scene, police were seen chasing another person down Broadway, a police vehicle was scrawled with “Liberate Gaza” and an anti-Israel poster reading “No to the Bombala genocide” was briefly plastered in a restaurant window.
At least 14 people were detained, police said.
Bird in Hand owner Brian Felicetta told The Washington Post he estimates damage to his restaurant’s outdoor seating at least several thousand dollars, but he’ll have a more accurate figure once he assesses the damage on Thursday.
“My flowers have taken this hit the hardest.”
He said several local residents stopped by for a private dinner after the rally and some of the protesters appeared to follow the group to the restaurant. He praised the police’s swift response and staff for handling the situation well.
“We’re a small family-owned business in New York, so nothing really happened other than I was the only one waking up in the morning and solving this problem,” Felicetta said.
“Myself and my (business) partner are both born and raised in New York and we work for everyone, so I don’t know what the goal or intent of this is, but it just doesn’t make sense to me,” he added.
Before the night descended into chaos, multiple sources in the political world had questioned the mayor’s motives for attending Wednesday’s pro-Harris rally, with one source telling The Washington Post that the mayor “must be watching the Trump pardon go away,” referring to the legal issues that have recently engulfed Adams and his administration.
“It is amusing that an event with no official DNC representative whatsoever was hosted by Mayor Adams, who to this day pretends to be a Democrat supporter and refuses to criticize Trump,” they added.
The sources also noted that Ms. Harris, 59, and Mr. Waltz, 60, were not present despite being prominently featured on flyers for the rally, confusing some who attended. Mr. Waltz, the running mate, spoke in Boston on Wednesday.
“We thought they’d be here,” one attendee told the group, who nodded in agreement and quickly left the venue.
Organizer Corey Ortega said Harris and Walz were confident of their support in the state.
“They must also attack other states that need a political presence,” he added.
The impromptu rally came just days before the Democratic National Convention began in Chicago.
“We’re very energized and excited to head to Chicago and bring home a win,” Hochle told a sold-out crowd Wednesday night.
