6 Arrested, Issued Summonses During Christmas Israel-Hamas War Protest
Summonses were issued for disorderly conduct, graffiti and related offenses after demonstrators clashed with officers in Midtown on Dec. 25. Protesters clashed with police near Rockefeller Center during a Christmas Israel-Hamas War protest. One demonstrator was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and other offenses, while another was released and issued a criminal summons for graffiti. Four others were issued criminal court desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct. The protest was part of several tied to Christmas in tandem with suspended Christmas services in Bethlehem amid the Israel-Gaza War. The news comes a month after 34 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested or issued summonses for disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Published : 4 months ago by Nicole Rosenthal in Tech
Protesters clashed with uniformed officers near Rockefeller Center just before 2 p.m., with one demonstrator arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and related offenses, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch. Another protester was released and issued a criminal summons for graffiti; four others were issued criminal court desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct, police said. The nature of the graffiti was not immediately available.
“No celebration ‘til liberation,” protesters chanted as the crowd of hundreds marched from Rockefeller Center to Grand Central and Union Square. The Dec. 25 protest was one of several tied to Christmas in tandem with suspended Christmas services in Bethlehem amid the Israel-Hamas War. At least 17 Israelis and 70 Palestinians were killed over the weekend, ABC7 reported.
Signs reading “No Joy In Genocide,” “Enough Is Enough” and “Stop The Violence” were waved by the Midtown demonstrators. The rally along Sixth Avenue finished about 7 p.m., police said. The news comes about a month after 34 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested or issued summonses after disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade near Sixth Avenue.
That protest culminated on the steps of the New York Public Library, "which was covered in fake blood by the end," organizers said. Protesters specifically targeted the Stephen Schwarzman building, named for the Blackstone Group CEO whose company pledged $7 million in aid to Israel earlier this year. "Free Palestine" was also spray-painted on the pillars of the New York Public Library building during the November demonstration.
Topics: Holidays, Christmas, Israel