Numerous Arrests at Pro-Palestine Met Protest in Support of Gaza
Numerous arrests were made on Monday as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near the Met Gala event in New York. The protests, held in solidarity with Gaza, added a powerful dimension to the city’s activism scene.
In a spirited demonstration dubbed ‘The Day of Rage’ organized by the pro-Palestinian group, Within Our Lifetime, hundreds of protesters made their way through the city. The rally kicked off at Hunter College and culminated at the Metropolitan Art Museum, coinciding with a high-profile charity event being held at the venue.
One of the key gathering spots was at the gates of Columbia University, a hub for pro-Gaza demonstrations. From there, protestors made their way through Manhattan towards one of the most significant nights in US fashion – well, as close as authorities would permit them to get.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) reportedly put barricades up around the museum in anticipation of the demonstrations, US website Axios added.
At least 27 people were arrested, the NYPD said, as cited by Axios, though the charges brought against them were not revealed.
Demonstrators could be heard chanting: “How many kids have you killed today, Israel or USA?”. Videos shared online showed a huge police presence at the event as protesters were being arrested.
The Met Gala attracts the world’s leading actors, singers and designers, who took up to the red carpet to showcase outfits adhering to this year’s theme – ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’.
Activists took to social media to urge people to not let the Met Gala “distract them” from Israel’s latest series of attacks on Rafah.
Gaza’s southernmost city is home to 1.4 million displaced Palestinians – who are mostly living in dire conditions due to overcrowding and a lack of basic necessities – amid a looming ground offensive by Israel.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli strikes, as Israel took control of the vital Rafah crossing between the Gazan border city and Egypt.
Hamas had agreed late on Monday to a ceasefire proposal amid ongoing truce talks, while Israel said it “was far from its essential demands”, though the government said it would send negotiators for talks “to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement”.
The protests occurred in the backdrop of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have swept US college campuses in recent weeks, inspired by the protest and a solidarity encampment for Gaza at Columbia University in mid-April.
Hundreds of students have been arrested in the crackdown, with reports of police forces using excessive violence against them.
At least 34,789 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since its brutal onslaught began on October 7. Thousands are feared trapped under rubble while the spread of disease and the severe lack of basic are likely to exacerbate the death toll.
