In New York, about 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters held a large-scale demonstration, and at least 24 people were arrested for obstructing traffic and disturbing public order.
The protesters gathered around 4 p.m. near Hunter College and then marched around the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala charity event was taking place that day. Hundreds of police officers stood guard outside.
Police officers in riot gear warned the protesters that if they continued to block the streets instead of moving to the sidewalk, they would be arrested.
Many protesters scattered but regrouped around the museum again.
By 8 p.m., there were still around 800 protesters. They dispersed into several smaller groups, with the largest group consisting of about 200 people. By around 9 p.m., the protest gradually subsided.
Some individuals distributed propaganda advocating communist revolution during the pro-Palestinian march, urging people to sign up for their email lists and offering related courses.
The protesters expressed discontent over Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and the civilian casualties there.
A student protester named Niha, who declined to give her last name, said, “All the City University of New York schools are joining us, and also Columbia University.”
She added, “Palestine has no safe haven.”
Danny Shaw, a professor of international relations at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, stated that the organization is “trying to prevent a genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Shaw told The Epoch Times, “If global public opinion was effective, we would have started preventing this 76 years ago, but it takes unity… critical education that they will never teach us in the dominant institutions of society.”
While some protesters expressed a desire to maintain peace, others engaged in provocations against the police, insults, using flashlight on their faces, shouting, and even spray-painting on police vehicles.
A German woman supporting the protest activities stated, “I have participated in many protests, and the pro-Palestinian protesters did not engage in any acts of aggression. They were pushed around by people waving Israeli flags, and I was intentionally bumped into and screamed at.”
Deputy Chief Kaz Daughtry of the New York City Police Department informed The Epoch Times that if protesters commit any crimes such as blocking traffic, closing bridges or tunnels, or attempting to break into the gala venue, law enforcement will take action.
“We have arrested 25 individuals so far, with 24 from the protest activities, and one person throwing eggs at the police from inside a window,” he said. “We are confident that the Met Gala charity event will proceed smoothly. They are still attempting to disrupt, with around 800 people lingering around, trying to disrupt the charity event.”
The deputy chief mentioned that pro-Palestinian organizations attempted to forcibly enter the Met Gala charity event venue but police had set up a perimeter and did not allow any unauthorized individuals to enter.
Met Gala is a fundraising event for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is a major event in the fashion industry. Many high-profile celebrities attend the event, and fans also come to see their favorite stars.
“They are still trying to find ways to bypass security,” Daughtry said. “However, the New York Police Department has a very thorough, robust, comprehensive plan. We have been planning for this for a long time. This is the result of a perfect plan. So far, no one has been able to break in and disrupt the charity event. We cannot tolerate anyone attempting to sabotage the Met Gala charity event.”
“We will be here all night until the charity event concludes, and then we will address the protesters. We have a sufficient number of officers to handle the 800 protesters here,” he said.
A reporter from The Epoch Times witnessed an incident where a Jewish man opposing the protests was attacked, along with several minor arguments and confrontations during the tense atmosphere.
The young Jewish man was preparing to go exercise in Central Park when he passed by a group of about 50 protesters, repeatedly saying “Am Yisrael Chai,” which means “The people of Israel live.”
The protesters splashed water on him and insulted him. Subsequently, he was surrounded and attacked by at least 10 protesters and assaulted by a veiled woman. His AirPods were knocked out, and the crowd pushed him away, preventing him from retrieving them. There were no police present at the time, and officers arrived about six minutes later to monitor the crowd.
“Clearly, this city cannot protect those with dissenting opinions,” the young Jewish man told The Epoch Times. “Over 30 individuals slowly began to gather and follow me. Then, just as seen in the footage, one person rushed up and punched my face with both fists. I did not retaliate because Jews do not believe in violence. We only hope that both the Jewish people in Israel and the Palestinians can see a future of peace and beauty.”
Many protesters wore face masks, with some even covering their entire faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
According to a video posted on social media, a masked protester among those heading towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art snatched an American flag from a woman waving it.
The promotional leaflets for the protest activities read “Citywide Anger Day… Fighting for Gaza,” with a background of flames and fire.
Most of the protesters were young people, chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “The only solution is uprising revolution,” and “New York police will fall, New York police Ku Klux Klan.”
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The original news is from The Epoch Times.