A protest against Israel in Brooklyn’s Borough Park turned violent on Tuesday night as demonstrators clashed with pro-Israel locals in the predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood, New York Post reports.
Dozens of protesters, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as “Zionists go to hell” and “How many kids did you kill today?” gathered to oppose a real estate event they claimed involved the sale of Palestinian land.
The demonstration was organised by the activist group Pal-Awda. The protest quickly escalated, with tensions rising between the opposing groups.
Pro-Israel demonstrators also gathered with Israeli flags, and police set up barricades to keep the groups apart. But tensions rose, leading to fights. At one point, both sides clashed, and police struggled to break them up, as seen in videos online.
One protester was arrested, and authorities confirmed that charges are pending.
Local leaders condemned the protest, saying it targeted Borough Park because it is a Jewish area.
Bronx Representative Ritchie Torres condemned the violence and wrote on X, “It should come as a shock to no one that the pro-Hamas mob targeting Jews and promising to ‘flood’ Boro Park has descended into violence.”
He further claimed that “violence is not a bug but a feature of the so-called ‘Free Palestine’ movement, which has no desire to free Palestinians from Hamas.”
New York City has seen multiple anti-Israel protests since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which led to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. According to the Gaza health ministry, over 48,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The protest happened just hours after Hamas confirmed the deaths of Israeli hostages Kfir and Ariel Bibas, aged two and five, and their mother, Shiri Bibas. Hamas said their bodies would be returned to Israel this week, sparking renewed outrage.
Both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have vowed strict military action if the ongoing hostage exchange is delayed or halted.