Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic Sunday on the Manhattan Bridge.
The demonstration demanding a cease-fire in Israel’s war on Hamas militants in Gaza came on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The city urged drivers to avoid the bridge.
The protesters sat in the roadway at Canal Street in Manhattan at 2 p.m. Many wore shirts reading “ceasefire now” and laid a banner on the pavement reading “the whole world is watching.”
Among the organizers was Jewish Voice for Peace, which has called Israel an apartheid state.
Jay Saper, a member of the group, said they timed the demonstration to draw maximum attention to their call for a lasting cease-fire. A current pause in the war to facilitate the exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and the delivery of aid is set to expire Tuesday.
“These kind of things where you stop traffic brings more attention to the issue. I do think there are many Americans who don’t really pay attention to how serious this is,” said one demonstrator, Joan Glickman, 74, of Westchester.
Dozens of police officers were on the scene and a drone flew overhead. A community affairs officer told Gothamist there were no immediate plans for arrests, though Department of Correction buses were parked nearby. Protesters vowed to not leave the roadway.
An NYPD spokesperson had no further information.
On Oct. 7 Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people in Israel. Israel has responded with a bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza that killed more than 14,000 people, according to local authorities.
“I hope that this message is strong and they’re listening in the White House,” said prominent Palestinian American activist Linda Sarsour.
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