Nearly a dozen people were arrested by police on Saturday near the end of a large pro-Palestinian protest in Manhattan, where thousands marched through the pouring rain to call for a ceasefire.
The “Hands Off Rafah” rally started around 1 p.m. in Washington Square Park and drew another sizable crowd of New Yorkers against the ongoing violence in Gaza. The weather did little to deter supporters from showing up, including actress Susan Sarandon.
“There are hundreds more across Manhattan, hundreds of thousands across the U.S., millions globally who are standing for Palestine for justice, for a ceasefire,” Sarandon said to a drenched crowd.
The NYC protest was one of many across the country on Saturday; others were held down in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Albuquerque and Charlotte. The day of action comes as the war in Gaza has killed at least 30,000 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israel has previously signaled its intention to attack Rafah, the enclave’s southernmost city where an estimated 1.4 million people are shelting.
The Manhattan march made its way up through borough, coming to a head briefly outside the New York Public Library’s flagship location at Bryant Park.
Tensions escalated between police and protesters when an NYPD vehicle tried to break through the crowd while responding to a call of a possible grenade near Times Square.
The item was deemed not explosive, but the peace had already been disturbed. Video shows the familiar chaos between police and protesters as the former moved to bind and take away a number of demonstrators.
At least 11 people were arrested.
2024-03-03 18:03:33
#Police #arrest #demonstrators #NYC #proPalestinian #march #chaotic #clash
