In New York City, over 1, 000 activists attempting to reach the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala was taking place, on Monday, clashed with officers and vandalized people statues. The advocate group Within Our Lives organized a” Day of Rage” that was observed worldwide.
The protesters redirected their opposition to Central Park, where they defaced the One Hundred Seventh Infantry Memorial, according to a statement from the New York Post. The phrase” Gaza” was written in big, black letters on the bottom of this World War I monument. Additionally, protesters burned an American flag there, burned it, and erected Israeli banners on the figures with the message” Stop the Genocide” signs. Close the apartheid. Completely Palestine”.
As the evening unfolded, another statue in Central Park, the Gen William Tecumseh Sherman monument, was equally vandalized. ” Free Gaza” was written in red words on the monument’s center, and a Israeli flag was affixed to the front.
About 20 protesters marched from Hunter College to the Met earlier in the evening, and officers had already taken them into custody on Madison Avenue and East 83rd Street. Despite having a large police appearance, the group managed to obstruct traffic along Fifth Avenue until it was stopped near East 79th Street Transverse in Central Park. They chanted,” Share, sell, we will not halt, we will not rest”, while displaying Arab colors and wearing keffiyehs.
As protesters were immediately led by police into Central Park but were forced to rely on confusion to get to grips with their situation. They then attempted to return to the Met after some time, but were blocked by a policeman blockade.
Almost 1, 000 pro-Israel demonstrators gathered in Riverside Park in support of Jewish individuals who are facing hatred at institutions like Columbia University in a separate but related function. The protest was held on Yom HaShoah, the day of Holocaust memory, emphasizing the need to fight racism and recall past crimes.
At the rally, Israeli embassy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, compared the actions of “modern-day Nazis” to what he called a” selective indignation that ignores other global injustices. Erdan emphasized the necessity of action against racism, especially in academic settings.
The day’s activities highlighted continued tensions and divisions regarding the Israeli- Arab issue, manifesting both locally and internationally.
