Pro-Palestinian rally shuts down bridges, tunnel into NYC
NEW YORK CITY - A Pro-Palestinian rally blocked traffic Monday morning on the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg Bridges, and the Holland Tunnel.
The New York Police Department said 325 people were arrested, with many facing misdemeanor charges.
Many had gathered at City Hall Plaza at around 9 a.m. before marching to the protest sites at the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges as well as the Holland Tunnel to New Jersey.
Protesters sat in roadways and locked themselves together using zip ties and even cement-filled tires.
Protest organizers included the Palestinian Youth Movement and Jewish-led groups long opposed to Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians, such as Jewish Voice for Peace.
The groups said they want to see a permanent cease-fire and an end to the U.S. government’s arming of the Israel, among other things.
"By blocking the city’s exits, the protesters created—briefly, imperfectly—a physical analogue for the situation in Gaza, where there is no getting out," the groups wrote in a statement following the protests.
At a news briefing Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he understood "the pain of innocent lives being lost right now," but questioned the tactics used by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
"The right to protest does not give one the right to block bridges and tunnels, as we saw this morning," Adams said. "The goal is to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city."
The Holland Tunnel reopened around 10:30 a.m., and the last of the protests dispersed shortly before 11:30 a.m., the NYPD said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Protests have dispersed in all locations. Expect residual delays," the NYPD tweeted.
The NYPD said to use alternate routes.
Earlier this month, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched over to Wall Street for a demonstration, just outside what used to be the headquarters of Israel’s national airline El Al.
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NYC pro-Palestinian protesters block roads near JFK Airport, march toward Wall Street
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched over to Wall Street in New York City for a demonstration, while hours before, the long line of backed up passengers waiting to get into JFK's AirTrain Terminal grew quickly following tightened security amid protests there.
Port Authority Police officers were observed asking for ID's and tickets from passengers heading toward the AirTrain.
Police reported around six cars stopped traffic as part of protest while travelers were left with consequences from the chaos.
AirTrain services were shut down at one point between Federal Circle and the terminals. The services were later reinstated, and restrictions were lifted.
The NYPD reported no arrests.
A steady stream of demonstrations have broken out in cities across the United States and in other countries during the three-month Israel-Hamas war.
More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Some 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel by the Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.