A number of Midtown protesters were arrested Wednesday night while attempting to crash a posh Republican and conservative gala saluting a billionaire Trump supporter.
The conservative think tank Manhattan Institute held the May 7 event at Cipriani 42nd Street to fete billionaire Paul Singer and present him with its Alexander Hamilton Award. The gala drew a number of key Republican figures in New York, such as mayoral candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa; it also brought out Daniel Penny, who was acquitted last year at trial for the choking death of subway performer Jordan Neely.
But protesters gathered by the hundreds at Bryant Park ahead of the event to protest Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who helped finance President Trump’s re-election, the current administration’s anti-migrant rhetoric, and various policies from climate change denial to pulling education funding.
Singer had served as board chair of the Manhattan Institute, which announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from that position. The organization named Betsy DeVos, former Secretary of Education during Trump’s first term, as his successor.
The Manhattan Institute was blamed by at least one protester for fostering the current political climate, which they say has led to the rise of fascism in America.
“The Manhattan Institute, which is breeding and creating fascist propaganda, is the brain trust behind the rise of fascism that we are seeing ever since the 1970s,” said one protester, who did not give their name. “The Manhattan Institute has been at war against workers. It has been at war against immigrants. It has been at war against families, and it has been at war against working-class people across this country today.”
As the large group prepared to march to Cipriani, another smaller offshoot rushed to prevent those decked out in lavish dresses and tuxedos from entering the venue, creating a human blockade with banners in the entranceway. Police rerouted attendees by creating a pathway with metal barriers from where other protesters heckled them as they entered.
“Nazis!” some chanted. “Tax the rich!” others called out.
Within a few minutes, police in riot gear arrested three protesters and pushed the large number of others from the entrance and corralled them into pens. Not to be dissuaded, they remained steadfast even as cops surrounded them.
“Our generation is done playing nice,” protester Asiah Quattlebaum said. “We’re building a movement that’s loud, visible, and unafraid to name names because the people destroying our world shouldn’t get to do it in peace. The Manhattan Institute gala is a celebration of greed and destruction while the planet burns, they toast their profits. We’re here to crash the party and expose their role in killing our future.”
In addition to pushing back against the MAGA agenda, the crowd also said they were looking to stand up against the exuberant wealth of many gala attendees, and what they believe is a refusal to care for the low and middle class.
“Billionaires like Paul Singer are fueling the climate crisis by bankrolling politicians and think tanks that block climate action, privatize public goods, and spread far-right propaganda. We need to put our bodies on the line to let these people know that they cannot get away with ruining our planet and our futures any longer,” said Michael Greenberg, Climate Defiance executive director.
