- Pro-Palestinian protesters took over the New York Times building lobby and read names from a newspaper called “The New York Crimes.”
- Photos show the front of the building being spray-painted and patrol cars in front of the building being vandalized
- As part of the protests, students and teachers in New York organized a walk earlier in the day
Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in New York City and made their way to the New York Times building, where they criticized its coverage of the war in Israel.
On Thursday, demonstrators occupied the building’s lobby, holding Palestinian flags and a sign reading “ceasefire now.” They read the names of those killed in Gaza from a newspaper called “The New York Crimes.”
Photos posted on social media show the group vandalizing the front of the building. Outside, NYPD vehicles had the words “Free Gaza” spray-painted on the side.
About 1,500 pro-Palestinian protesters descended on the Big Apple on Thursday, WABC reported.
Earlier in the day, New York City high school students, parents and teachers took part in a strike demanding a ceasefire.
Protesters read the names of those killed in Gaza from a newspaper called “The New York Crimes.”
In front of the New York Times building, NYPD vehicles were spray-painted with the words “Free Gaza” written on the side
The front of the New York Times building was defaced. The police were finally able to clear the lobby
Organized by groups such as Teachers Unite, NYC Educators for Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement, students walked out of class and gathered in Bryant Park.
Crowds chanted: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a phrase calling for a Palestinian takeover of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, which includes Israel.
“We have called on people to quit their jobs.” We have called on people to leave their schools. “Many people responded to this call,” Munir Marwan of the Palestinian Youth Movement told CBS New York.
The group calls for a ceasefire and an end to the so-called Israeli genocide.
After gathering at the New York Public Library in Bryant Park, the group made their way to the New York Times building, where they filled the lobby.
Protesters chanted that The New York Times had “blood on its hands” and called on employees to resign.
Eventually the police were able to clear the building and the protests continued.
Before the strike, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks warned teachers about violating the Education Department’s rules on political speech, Chalkbeat reported.
“When speech and action — even off-duty — undermines the mission or core functions of NYCPS, we will review it on a case-by-case basis and take appropriate action,” he said in an email.
The demonstrations came as the NYPD reported a 135 percent increase in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers since the start of the war.
There were 101 hate crimes in the month of October, 69 of which were against Jews, as anti-Semitic crimes increased by 331 percent since September and 214 percent since October last year.
Around 1,500 pro-Palestine demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday
Hundreds of high school students and teachers from New York went out and marched in Bryant Park
There were also eight hate crimes against Muslim New Yorkers – an increase of 700 percent since September and 800 percent since October 2022, when there were zero.
Fighting in the Middle East has intensified in the 34 days since Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7.
Israel has agreed to implement four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its attack on Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip to free hostages, the White House announced.
Israeli officials said 1,400 people were killed and about 240 hostages were taken in the Hamas attack on October 7 – the worst attack in the country’s history.
Israel responded with an air strike and a ground offensive that killed more than 10,500 people, including many children, in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry.