Protesters at Tuesday night’s chaotic demonstration in Midtown over the escalating conflict in the Middle East criticized the NYPD for clashes with participants that left nearly three dozen under arrest and at least one hospitalized.
The demonstration began at around 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 in Madison Square Park, where hundreds of demonstrators sympathetic to Palestine gathered to protest the covert Israeli operation in Lebanon involving detonations of pagers that left at least 40 people dead and more than 3,000 injured — including civilians and leaders of the terrorist group Hezbollah.
While Israel maintains that it launched the operation as part of its own self-defense, demonstrators at Tuesday’s march expressed outrage over the loss of life and criticized the United Nations for not taking action amid the ongoing General Assembly.
“This shows that no institution, no United Nations, no international court, has the actual power to stop a genocide,” protest organizer Nerdeen Kiswani said to a gathering crowd of supporters inside the greenspace. “We need to be taking action, getting organized every single day. Protests are not enough.”
After about an hour of rallying, protesters began marching uptown and briefly entered the streets, drawing the ire of cops, who followed along while clad in riot gear and clinging to nightsticks. The NYPD ordered the group back onto the sidewalk under threat of arrest. Some continued to tempt fate and moved on and off the road.
Things turned chaotic at the corner of 32nd Street and Madison Avenue, where marchers swiftly changed course toward Park Avenue. Cops moved in and began wrestling with protesters. Some activists clung to one another as they were toppled to the ground, while others grappled with officers as they slapped zip-ties around their wrists.
“Stop resisting!” one officer could be heard yelling as they pressed a person into the concrete.
“Why are you doing this, that’s a woman,” an onlooker hollered in response.
While some among the activists’ ranks remained and battled with police, others moved up toward Grand Central Station with the ultimate goal of reaching the United Nations. However, the NYPD intervened, making a slew of more arrests.
In the immediate aftermath of the cuffing, pro-Palestinian protest group Within Our Lifetime alleged that the arrests “brutalized” them and left a top organizer hospitalized.
“New Yorkers flooded the streets of Manhattan to demand liberation during the 79th United Nations General Assembly,” part of the statement read. “With a green light from disgraced Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD escalates its barbarity, brutalizing and arresting dozens of protestors. WOL organizer and youth leader in the Muslim community Abdullah Akl remains hospitalized with serious injuries.”
According to police sources, a total of 32 individuals were taken into custody; of them, individuals received summonses, 5 individuals were released on a desk appearance ticket, and three individuals were processed for higher criminal charges.
Police sources say the charges against all individuals taken into custody varied and included assault, menacing, and harassment.
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