'Fund people, not bombs': Hundreds take to New York streets as Netanyahu delivers speech at UN; dozens arrested
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Fund people, not bombs': Hundreds take to New York streets as Netanyahu delivers speech at UN; dozens arrested")
Protestors in New York ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at UN Photograph: (AFP)
Hundreds protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s UN speech in New York, blocking streets as police make arrests amid demonstrations over Israel’s war in Gaza
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets outside the United Nations in New York on Thursday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to address the General Assembly, with several people arrested as demonstrations disrupted traffic near the UN headquarters. The protest drew Jewish, Palestinian, Iranian and Lebanese New Yorkers, along with elected officials, political candidates and celebrities. Demonstrators wore shirts reading “Fund people not bombs” and chanted “Let Gaza live” and “the whole world is watching.”
Protesters sat in the middle of the street for more than an hour, forcing official vehicles heading toward the UN to divert. Demonstrators also carried banners calling to “end the genocide” and flew a kite bearing the words “Free Palestine,” according to organizers. A separate demonstration was also planned for later Thursday afternoon, with organizers expecting another large turnout in Midtown Manhattan before a march toward the UN.
On Wednesday, members of the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter also held a demonstration at John F. Kennedy International Airport over weapons and explosive materials destined for the Israeli military being transported on commercial aircraft. “What we made clear today is that New Yorkers, including Jewish New Yorkers, do not want war criminals and the architects of genocide coming to our city,” said Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, which coordinated the first protest outside the UN. “This is something that we have been saying for years, especially over the last three years during which Israel has killed over 75,000 Palestinians in this genocide, and to be clear that is a severe undercount.”
Protests have frequently accompanied Netanyahu’s appearances at the UN. This year’s demonstrations have taken place amid continuing debate in the United States over the Gaza war and US support for Israel. Actors Susan Sarandon and Caleb Hearon, along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, were also among those detained by the NYPD, according to the report. The protests also drew several candidates and elected officials who have publicly criticized US policy toward Israel, including New York’s Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander, Pennsylvania’s Chris Rabb, New Jersey’s Adam Hamawy and Colorado’s Melat Kiros.
The NYPD did not immediately confirm the number of arrests. Organizers estimated that more than 100 people had been detained. The demonstrations also placed renewed attention on Mamdani, who had previously pledged to seek Netanyahu’s arrest if he came to New York but later acknowledged that the city does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest. He has continued to say that protesters have the right to demonstrate in the city.
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“To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest, what I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in this city,” he said. “We respect that right and this is a city that is proud of the constitution and proud of the first amendment.” Mamdani’s relationship with Netanyahu has become a prominent part of the political debate surrounding the Israeli prime minister’s visit to New York. Netanyahu had said before the UN address that he would respond to Mamdani’s criticism and defend Israel’s actions.
