Above photo: Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist.
Police arrest hundreds.
Hundreds of people were arrested after pro-Palestinian protesters from several advocacy groups shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and Holland Tunnel for more than an hour during the Monday morning commute, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard said.
Traffic was at a standstill at each of the four entry points to the city beginning at around 9:30 a.m., according to a NYPD spokesperson. By 11:15 a.m., police had arrested protesters at the various protests and traffic had resumed at the city’s bridges and tunnel, a police spokesperson said.
In total, the NYPD had arrested 216 people and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey arrested 109, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard told Gothamist on Monday afternoon.
The protests were led by several groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, according to one protester and social media fliers announcing the event. Demonstrators called for an end to the Israeli bombardment on Gaza which has killed nearly 23,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel’s attacks follow the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
About 50 protesters who chained their arms together at the Brooklyn Bridge used chicken wire, foam and a plastic tube to cover the chains. Police began sawing off the tubes at around 10:30 a.m., according to a Gothamist reporter who was at the scene. At least two protesters used cement to attach themselves to a tire, according to the reporter.
“The point is disruption,” said one protester at the Brooklyn Bridge, Mon Mohapatra. “We were trying to cause gridlock and traffic back-ups throughout downtown Manhattan at the same time. We were trying to scale up and we were trying to show that we’re a united front for Palestine … until there’s a permanent ceasefire.”
Hundreds of cars were backed up in lower Manhattan. Some drivers exited their cars and began yelling at police and protesters.
“This is unbelievable,” said Angel Morel, 50, who works for the city’s sanitation department. Morel said his job was in jeopardy after waiting nearly an hour. “The citizens always pay at the end.”
This story has been updated.