Cops break up pro-Palestine march in Brooklyn; make several arrests
Police arrested at least a dozen protesters Saturday afternoon as a crowd of demonstrators marched in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to support the Palestinian cause.
Violence erupted when observers said a large number of police officers tried to push the group of some 200 or more marchers, waving Palestinian flags, onto the sidewalk along Fifth Ave. near Ovington Ave. on the local shopping strip in the heavily Arab-American neighborhood.
Posted videos show officers struggling with several demonstrators in a general melee.
One video on social media showed an NYPD officer appearing to repeatedly punch a demonstrator lying in the crosswalk. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the department is “looking into” the video.
Another video posted on X shows officers walking two protesters away with their hands at their backs, one with what appeared to be blood dripping down the side of his face.
The protest, held by the organization Within Our Lifetime, was slated the “Nakba 76” referring to the 76th anniversary of ‘Nakba’, the annual observation of mass Palestinian displacement during the 1948 establishment of Israel.
Last year, the UN General Assembly requested that the anniversary of the ‘Nakba’ be commemorated on May 15, for the first time in history.
Video posted on X by the organizing group showed protesters chanting, “Muslim cops, what do you say? How many kids did you beat today?”, to the beat of a drum, while some set off green and red smoke flares.
The NYPD could not immediately confirm the number of protesters arrested.
On Oct. 21, Within Our Lifetime held a similar rally on 5th Ave. in Bay Ridge. Police took 22 demonstrators into custody.
