A protest in Boro Park, Brooklyn, led by the anti-Israel group Pal-Awda, escalated into violence Tuesday night. Demonstrators shouted “Zionists go to hell” and “Settlers go back home, Palestine is ours alone” as they marched through the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.
The protesters gathered in response to an event selling Israeli real estate. They confronted Jewish residents, chanting slogans and flashing obscene gestures. Some covered their faces with masks and keffiyehs. Children returning home from yeshivas watched from school bus windows as the demonstrators chanted, “How many kids did you kill today?”
Pro-Israel counter-protesters arrived, and fights broke out. Police separated the groups with barricades. A 42-year-old man was arrested after he punched a 61-year-old Jewish man, who received medical attention at the scene. Video from the protest showed a knife on the ground, but police said it was not used.
New York leaders condemned the protest. Representative Daniel Goldman called it “targeted harassment” of Orthodox Jews. Congressman Ritchie Torres said, “Violence is not a bug but a feature of the so-called ‘Free Palestine’ movement.” Councilwoman Inna Vernikov called the demonstrators “antisemitic, anti-American, Hamas-supporting lunatics.”
NYPD Deputy Chief Richie Taylor, the city’s highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish officer, told residents, “There’s no reason for it. They’re leaving.” The anti-Israel group moved toward the subway as police maintained order.
The protest follows a pattern of anti-Israel demonstrations since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed. While these protests have occurred citywide, targeting a Jewish neighborhood raises new concerns. Local leaders are calling for stronger measures to protect the community.
