Police arrest dozens after Manhattan Bridge blocked by anti-Israel protestors

Wearing keffiyehs and waving the Palestinian flag, the small crowd chanted such slogans as “Globalize the intifada.” 

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

New York police arrested over three dozen anti-Israel protestors after they blocked one of the main traffic arteries into Manhattan Saturday night.

The activists had first rallied at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, and then moved onto upper level of Manhattan Bridge to block the west-bound lanes, reportedly pushing past a police blockade to do so.

They linked arms and screamed “We don’t want your f–king war” as they walked very slowly on the span.

Dozens of helmeted police officers then approached and began separating them, zip-tying protestors’ arms behind their backs and lining them up before loading them onto a bus to be taken for booking.

As those arrested, many of them wearing keffiyehs and Covid-era masks, waited in the long line, they chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Globalize the intifada” in their bid to support the Hamas terrorist organization in its ongoing war with Israel.

The police posted on Instagram an overhead view of part of its actions in dispersing the crowd as a huge line of cars can be seen stretching down the bridge.

Some scuffles can clearly be seen between demonstrators and the authorities. One officer was reportedly lightly injured by pepper spray being sprayed into his eyes.

“Today, over 100 protestors intentionally blocked lanes of traffic on the Manhattan Bridge,” Deputy Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry wrote on the social media site. “This footage gives us a bird’s-eye view of our police officers placing individuals under arrest, restoring order and keeping NYC moving. More than an inconvenience, this is a public safety hazard.”

“The NYPD will always protect freedom of speech and protest, but we will not stand for lawlessness!,” he added.

After the detainees were taken away, dozens of their compatriots went to police headquarters in downtown Manhattan to protest their arrest and continue their rally.

They chanted more warlike slogans, such as “Intifada, Revolution,” holding Palestinian flags and signs such as “Hands Off Rafah” and calling for Israel to stop its “siege on Gaza.”

Some banged on drums and others clanged bells, turning it into a noisy evening for the nearby residents.

They cheered when detainees trickled out of the front door one by one after being released from custody.

It was not immediately clear what they were charged with before being given a court date. Blocking roads is typically labeled a disruption of public order, while a charge of resisting arrest could be brought against those who committed violence when the police moved in.

This is not the first time Manhattan Bridge was blocked by anti-Israel agitators.

Seven weeks after Israel declared war on Hamas following its surprise invasion and massacre of 1,200 people, including babies and the elderly, over a thousand supporters of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice For Peace blocked traffic going the other way, to Brooklyn, demanding a cease-fire.