Thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators flooded the streets of Manhattan on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, causing chaos and keeping the New York City Police Department on high alert.
A largely anti-Israel mob converged from Columbia University to Wall Street, and anti-Semitic vandals stormed the Yamanote campus in New York, smashing building windows and marking anti-Israel signs with red paint. Anticipated concerns were telegraphed early on, including scribbled messages. that.
The NYPD said dozens of rallies were planned to mark the solemn anniversary, but two of particular concern were in Times Square late Monday afternoon and in Central Park in the evening.
“We're going to protect everyone, whether it's protesters, people in New York City just doing their jobs, or everyone in between,” NYPD Sergeant John Chell said at a news conference in Battery Park.
“If it escalates into a crime, we will respond as professionally as possible,” Chell said. “I’m going to do what I have to do and enjoy the day.”
By early afternoon, several hundred anti-Israel demonstrators had gathered in front of Columbia University's Law Memorial Library, dispersing pro-Israel demonstrators who had gathered earlier.
“Mobilize the Antifada!” the mostly peaceful crowd chanted. “Palestine will be free!” “Break the chains and watch it fall!” and “Israel will go to hell!”
Earlier in the day, the pro-Israel crowd vastly outnumbered the small number of counter-demonstrators.
Shortly after noon, police began barricading Washington Square Park in preparation for a large protest planned by the anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime, while another anti-Israel group They began to gather outside the stock exchange on Wall Street.
Shortly before 3 p.m., another anti-Israel mob gathered outside City Hall, where hundreds of demonstrators waved flags and called for an end to the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Around the same time, a crowd of 75 people formed outside New York University's campus in lower Manhattan, with both pro-Israel and anti-Israel protesters gathering at the scene.
“We want to be open and open and dialogue,” said one New York University freshman. “That's what America is about. It's terrible that this is what we have to do, and it's terrible that Jews, especially Jewish students, have to face this on a daily basis. .
“I was thinking about whether to wear a yellow pin today,” the student said, referring to the symbol of support for Jewish hostages still held by Palestinian Hamas terrorists. “It was a civil war that I was preparing for in time. I chose to do it because…it should be done.”
The riots started early. The vandals smashed windows at the State University of New York Center for Advanced Science Research in upper Manhattan, scrawled “Leave Now” on the building at about 1 a.m. and fled.
The Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and subsequent Israeli counterattack in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip sparked widespread anti-Semitic demonstrations across the United States over the past year, including in five autonomous regions. The most notable demonstration was
Monday's renewed unrest frustrated Jewish residents and Poles, who said they were trying to commemorate the dead and missing in the horrific raid a year ago.
“We should have the space to remember and honor those who were massacred,” said City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx).
U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) reflected on the anniversary to X.
“We all lost a part of ourselves on October 7th,” he wrote. “However, as we commemorate and reflect on this tragic day, we would like to take this opportunity to remember those in our Hudson Valley community who paid the ultimate price.”
Additional reporting by Joe Marino, Aneeta Bhole, Larry Celona, Caroline McCarthy, Kaydi Pelletier, Hannah Fierik, Vaughen Golden, and Elizabeth Karpen
