Pro-Palestinian protest to 'flood' JFK Airport this weekend: 'Bring flags, signs'
NEW YORK CITY - Pro-Palestinian supporters are calling for a "National Day of Action" this weekend in New York City, including a "Flood JFK For Gaza" demonstration, just one month after stifling traffic and blocking travelers at the airport.
According to an Instagram post from Within Our Lifetime, a group with nearly 180,000 followers, protesters are urged to "bring flags, keffiyehs, signs banners & decorate our cars" Saturday to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
"As Biden continues his offensive against Gaza and Yemen, we call for urgent action to end the genocide in Gaza, halt all U.S. aid to is*ael, lift the siege and blockade of Gaza, and end the occupation and colonization of all of Palestine," the post said, in part.
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JFK Airport protest: Travelers push through demonstrators blocking Van Wyck; 26 arrested
At least 26 people were arrested after an apparent pro-Palestinian demonstration blocked traffic near and inside JFK Airport.
The post said a car caravan would start at 12 p.m. at the Shirley Chisholm Park West parking area in Brooklyn.
At 1 p.m., demonstrators were also encouraged to head on foot at the AirTrain Jamaica Station, followed by a rally outside JFK Terminal 4 arrivals at 2 p.m.
Another group of organizers is rallying for "the whole city to come together" in Union Square at noon on Saturday.
After days of frigid cold weather and wet conditions, Saturday should see above-average temperatures and partly cloudy skies, which could impact crowd sizes.
December JFK Airport protest
Last month, dozens were arrested after a pro-Palestinian demonstration blocked a portion of the Van Wyck Expressway inside the airport, the Port Authority said.
Some banners read ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Divest From Genocide.' (FNTV)
Several demonstrators were seen holding banners reading "Free Palestine" and "Divest From Genocide," creating gridlock traffic and forcing travelers to exit their ride-share vehicles and cart their luggage to their gates.
January rally shuts down NYC bridges, tunnel
Earlier this month, a Pro-Palestinian rally blocked traffic on the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, as well as the Holland Tunnel.
The NYPD said hundreds were arrested. Many had gathered at City Hall Plaza in the morning before marching to the protest sites.
NYPD officers arrest pro-palestinian protesters as they gathered and blocked the Manhattan entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Protesters sat in roadways and locked themselves together using zip ties and even cement-filled tires.
Death in Gaza
Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 25,700 people, some 70% of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Another 63,000 have been wounded.
The Health Ministry's count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Activists around the world have continued to call for peace and a permanent cease-fire. Israel says ending the war now, before Hamas is crushed, would give a victory to the militants who attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 and killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.