NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said demonstrators began blocking the structures at 9:40 a.m., and that by 11:15 a.m. the NYPD and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey made the arrests and successfully cleared the locations.
Protesters gathered at the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Holland Tunnel on Monday morning, holding signs that said “lift the siege on Gaza” and “end the occupation.” City officials were present on the scene to clear the path for traffic.
Such protests have become common in recent months as Israel continues its ground invasion in Gaza, forcing Palestinians to flee their homes while the state targets Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization that began the recent war on Oct. 7 when it launched a surprise attack in Israel, brutally killing and torturing 1,200 Israelis.
In the months since, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has resulted in nearly 23,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
On Dec. 27, one of the busiest travel days of the year, pro-Palestinian protesters similarly demonstrated at Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Also on Monday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupted a speech President Biden gave at Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina.
“I understand their passion,” Biden said. “And I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) made remarks following the local arrests, according to local news outlets, expressing his support for the right to protest but saying that does not give people the right to block bridges and traffic.
“The goal is to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city. Some people are not just driving to and from, across our bridges to go to their place of employment, some of them are dealing with some real emergency-type issues,” Adams said. “I have been extremely clear: It gives us all pain to see innocent lives being lost right now. We need to do whatever is possible to end anything that is going to take the lives of innocent people, but Hamas must be destroyed, they are a terrorist organization.”
NYPD said, in lieu of summons, many of the demonstrators will face misdemeanor charges with a desk appearance ticket.
pll/jha/dfm
