An anti-Zionist left-wing Jewish activist group partially shut down Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on Friday evening - during rush hour - in one of the largest protests calling for a cease-fire in the three-week Israel-Hamas war the metro area has seen thus far. More than 300 protesters were arrested, according to the New York Police Department.
Local media ABC7 New York said the protest was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace. It forced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to restrict access to Grand Central and advised customers to use 125th St. station around 6 pm EST.
"The rally began at 6 pm inside Grand Central Station with hundreds of protestors populating the terminal. Eventually, thousands of demonstrators spilled onto the streets outside Grand Central," ABC7 said.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Voice for Peace is a group that...
On October 7, 2023, the day Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed 1,400 Israelis, and kidnapped at least 203 people (including Americans), most of whom were civilians, JVP released a statement claiming that "the source of all this violence" was "Israeli apartheid and occupation — and United States complicity in that oppression." In interviews, JVP Executive Director Stefanie Fox and JVP Action Political Director Beth Miller both said that Israel was the "root cause" of the violence. Prominent JVP activist Ariel Koren said she believed Hamas's actions were consistent with "Palestinians' right to resist."
Protesters were heard chanting, "Cease fire now" and "Let Gaza live."
‘Jews for Ceasefire’ staged a rally in Grand Central Station. They disrupted rush hour but accomplished nothing else other than telling irritated commuters in NYC that none of the protesters were in Israel when Hamas terrorists were beheading babies, slaughtering innocents, and… pic.twitter.com/qUq3D8qxPk
— 𝔹𝕦𝕕… (@bud_cann) October 28, 2023
BREAKING:
— Craig R. Brittain (@RealBrittain) October 28, 2023
This is right now. Hundreds of thousands of Hamas supporters in Grand Central Terminal, New York.
They are already here.pic.twitter.com/sr0wDuSvwg
I’m in NYC and this is the shit that greeted me outside Grand Central last night. My husband had to hold me back. These idiots have no idea what “from the river to the sea” really means. Cheering for an actual genocide. pic.twitter.com/8IozurOYYN
— Geula ✡️💛🐝🇺🇦🟦 (@gjfergus) October 28, 2023
One police officer told NYTimes more than 1,000 protesters packed the train station.
New York City’s Grand Central Terminal closed after demonstrations calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas by the group Jewish Voice for Peace. #IsraelHamasWar #Demonstration #NewYorkCity pic.twitter.com/yEWpbalyoB
— World History (@whistory3637) October 28, 2023
NYPD gave the protesters three warnings to disperse, though many did not comply with authorities, and upwards of 300 were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing.
NOW: Hundreds of Jewish Americans being arrested at Grand Central Station in what might be the biggest mass civil disobedience that NYC has seen in two decades. pic.twitter.com/mUL7ZtIBer
— AHMED | أحمد (@ASE) October 27, 2023
"It's disappointing that this group elected to stage a protest that interfered with New Yorkers getting home from work and otherwise going about their business," MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren said.
Shutting down parts of Grand Central Terminal by left-wing protesters comes as Israel enters the next phase of battle operations, meaning a full ground assault, as heavy aerial bombardment of Gaza to eliminate Hamas continues.
