New York City police are escalating violent clashes with demonstrators at an anti-Israel event in Brooklyn that led to more than a dozen arrests on Saturday.
The bust occurred during a Nakba Day protest in Bay Ridge, which was quelled by police. Video posted online showed New York’s Finest pinning down and even punching protesters.
“Bay Ridge is home to the largest Palestinian community in New York City,” City Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn) told the Post on Sunday. “For the past 10 years, non-violent Nakba Day demonstrations have been held here every year.
“Yesterday, we saw no evidence of any behavior by protesters that warranted such an aggressive response from the NYPD,” he said. “They were not local police officers. Clearly there was a ‘zero tolerance’ edict handed down from 1PP. [police headquarters] That escalated everything and made the situation even worse.
“While I am still awaiting information and details regarding the arrest, from my perspective this response appeared to be preemptive, retaliatory, and cumulatively aggressive,” Brannan said. he added.
Nakba Day refers to the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, which Palestinians see as the beginning of their displacement, but Brannan added that this year’s turnout was lower than in previous years.
Video footage posted online The footage shows police confronting protesters, including two scenes in which an officer punches a demonstrator who is pinned to the ground.
Police were also seen trying to hold other demonstrators back during the noisy clashes.
It is unclear what happened before the collision seen in the video.
New York police have had their hands full with anti-Israel protests in recent months. The demonstrations occurred after Palestinian Hamas terrorists attacked the Israeli state on October 7, leading to a massive counterattack by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Ember Orm, the controversial City Council member who raised eyebrows during the George Floyd protests by encouraging Black Lives Matter protesters to attack police and throw bottles, also spoke on Saturday. He agreed after his arrest.
“I don’t remember so many helicopters and violent arrests during the summer when we shut down the streets every other week for festivals.” Orm wrote to X. “If people are holding flags, are they suddenly going to pose a threat to pedestrians walking down the street?”
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
