NYPD clash with protesters, makes dozens of arrests at pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn

Grappling with accusations of police brutality, the New York Police Department claimed Monday that they had to arrest activists after they encountered "non-peaceful" protest at the Pro-Palestinian Nakba Day rally on Saturday, which was rife with terrorist paraphernalia.

The NYPD alleged that officers had been physically assaulted by protests, and others resisted or interfered with arrests. A supercut of footage from the event showed bottles and other objects being thrown at cops. officers were spat on and in some instances sprayed with an "unknown liquid substance."

Footage published by National Students for Justice in Palestine and other groups on social media on Sunday showed senior NYPD officers pulling protesters to the ground and in some instances hammered them repeatedly with punches.

NOW: NYPD officers tackle a pro-Palestine protester to the ground and are seen punching the protester in what appears to be their upper bodyThe situation in Bay Ridge has escalated rapidly in the past few minutes — at least a dozen arrests pic.twitter.com/fIu5hnR5Mw

— katie smith (@probablyreadit) May 18, 2024

"The NYPD was fully unleashed today, as they violently cracked down on a WOL Nakba Day march in Bay Ridge, the beating heart of New York’s Arab community," said NSJP. "White shirts -- senior officers -- were seen on video punching protesters who lay on the ground, knocking some unconscious, and pulling protesters from the crowd at random."

The NYPD also alleged that activists used sound amplifying devices without permit, and engaged in vandalism of police vehicles, scrawling an expletive and putting a "Zionism is terrorism" sticker on the side.

Police blamed outside instigators for the clashes, noting that 36 of the 41 people arrested were not from the Bay Ridge area community or the greater city. The NYPD also noted that a third had a prior arrest history for violent protest.

74th and 6th ave pic.twitter.com/6tARrkzZGN

— Within Our Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) May 18, 2024

"We will never tolerate any unlawful, illegal, and non-peaceful protests. NYC residents demand peace and reject unlawful behavior in any form," the NYPD said on social media on Monday. "We will not accept the narrative that persons arrested were victims, nor are we going to allow illegal behavior."

In one incident, a protester rode on the roof of Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, disrupting services. What appears to be a Hamas flag trailing behind the bus. At least one banner featuring Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida and Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar was present in videos published by rally organizers Within Our Lifetime and other anti-Israel groups.

Banners featuring terrorist logos

At least two Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine flags could be seen in NYPD and WOL videos, with one activists wearing a PFLP headband. A banner with the PFLP logo featuring the terrorist organization's leader Ahmad Sa'adat also appeared in footage of the clashing groups. Both the PFLP and Hamas are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US State Department.

New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis denounced the disorderly conduct and flying of the Hamas flag on Sunday. She also expressed confidence in the NYP and said that the majority of participants were outside agitators.

WOL leader Nerdeen Kiswani in a social media post on Monday denied that the rally was made up of outside agitators, asserting that Malliotakis was lying, and it was the NYPD that were outsiders.

"We’re the same Palestinian organization that has been protesting your office in Bay ridge years, every Nakba day," said Kiswani.

Kiswani accussed the NYPD of brutalizing her friends and fellow activists, saying that officers were engaging in violence against the activists for no other reason than racism and enjoyment of power.  

The New York City American Civil Liberties Union described in a Sunday statement how city law enforcement's actions were part of a "continual pattern of NYPD aggression against Pro-Palestine demonstrators," which raised "important questions about the city's disparate treatment of speakers based on their message."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams said on X on Monday that his office would investigate the incidents at the protests further, but that "it’s clear this conduct against nonviolent demonstrators is inexcusable."

NYC councilman Justin Brannan said that every year there had been Nakba Day demonstrations without incident, and that he saw no evidence of actions this year that warranted an aggressive police response.