Pro-Palestinian protesters try to disrupt Met Gala
(The Hill) — Pro-Palestinian demonstrations broke out near the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night as celebrities gathered for the annual Met Gala event.
The New York Police Department confirmed multiple people were arrested in the protests, though did not specify a number. Footage on social media showed groups of people marching near the Met Gala, shouting “free Palestine” and banging drums.
In some videos, traffic on Park Avenue appeared at a standstill as protesters flooded the streets. Some protesters set off smoke bombs and flares
Photos: Celebs hit the red carpet for the 2024 Met Gala
NBC News reported the protesters were rallying across the city in a “citywide day of rage,” marching from Hunter College and through Central Park to attempt to disrupt the fundraising event. The NYPD set up various blockades in the area surrounding the Met Gala to prevent protesters from getting close to the gala and instructed protesters to leave the roadways, NBC News added.
Protestors holding signs that read “Palestinian + Congolese Blood is on Your Hands” and “Are you Not Ashamed” stand behind onlookers at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibition on Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Palestinian protesters remove police barricades during the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Met Gala takes place on Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Police arrest a Palestinian protester during the Met Gala near the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Met Gala takes place, on Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Police detain pro-Palestinian protesters near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala takes place, Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
The demonstration comes as pro-Palestinian protests roil college campuses across the country, prompting the arrests of hundreds of students and faculty over the past three weeks. Demonstrators are calling for universities and the U.S. to sever ties with Israel over the country’s war with Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians since early October.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Insitute Benefit involves scores of high-profile stars who dress in adherence with a specific code. This year’s theme was “The Garden of Time,” in honor of the exhibit’s theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
Celebrities dawned flora and fauna looks on a green carpet Monday before they attended cocktails and dinner with the about 400 invited guests. Last year, the gala raised about $22 million for the Met’s Costume Insitute, according to the Associated Press.
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