Brooklyn Bridge shut down by hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Bridge was temporarily closed Monday as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched across the iconic span.
The swarm of demonstrators shut down both lanes of the bridge as they trekked into Brooklyn around 3:30 p.m., video posted to X shows.
Some protesters burned sparklers as NYPD officers on bicycles pedaled toward them.
Dozens of people were arrested on the bridge as a Department of Correction bus waited at the bottom of the Brooklyn side of the bridge to transport detainees.
“The are killing my family and now they are arresting me,” said a woman who identified as Palestinian as she was led away in handcuffs.
Drivers were urged to use alternate routes and to expect delays in the area as the protest continued on Monday afternoon.
Earlier this year, pro-Palestinian protesters linked arms across key Manhattan bridges and used their bodies to barricade the Holland Tunnel during rush hour on a Monday morning.
Some protesters even linked their arms in concrete-filled tires and PVC pipes at the main thoroughfares on Jan. 8. Police ultimately arrested about 325 demonstrators.
Frequent protests have broken out in the city since Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, massacring 1,200 people and taking hostages.
That month, hundreds of protesters calling for a cease-fire temporarily shut down portions of Grand Central station during rush hour. More than 200 people were arrested as officers descended upon the transit hub.
Protesters also tried to disrupt the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, but were thwarted by heavy police presences in the areas.
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