Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have flooded the streets of New York as part of a rowdy demonstration on International Women’s Day which saw them storm the Oculus near the World Trade Center.
Footage shows the demonstrators clutching Palestinian flags shouting and cheering after they successfully squeeze into the shopping center on Friday.
Once inside they formed a drumming circle and waved banners which read: ’30, 878 dead and Joe is eating ice cream’ in reference to the president nonchalantly slurping on an ice cream cone while being grilled about the situation between Israel and Gaza recently.
Other disturbing footage shows one protester knocked out cold in the streets. The activist is seen lying face down on the ground while surrounded by cops. It is unclear how he got knocked out.
In the background a woman is heard screaming, ‘get him an ambulance, f*** the cops, he’s passed out’ as police attempt to coax a response from his limp body.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters have flooded the streets of New York as part of a rowdy demonstration on International Women’s Day
Demonstrators flooded into the Oculus shopping mall near the World Trade Center
Disturbing video shows a pro-Palestine protester knocked out cold in the streets of New York as demonstrators sweep through the city
The march was organized by Palestinian group Within in Our Lifetime
The images prompted condemnation from former gubernatorial candidate and actress Cynthia Nixon, after it was suggested the protester had been knocked out by cops.
‘This is utterly despicable—the NYPD is more out of control that ever and when they get sued for this NYC taxpayers will have to pay their multi-million dollar fine from money stolen from libraries and schools under the corrupt administration of NYC Mayor [Eric Adams]’.
It is not yet known how many arrests were made but the NYPD confirmed there were people taken into custody.
The chaotic scene was one of many witnessed as part of the march organized by Palestinian group Within in Our Lifetime to coincide with International Women’s Day in recognition that the death toll from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has been predominantly women and children.
More than 25,000 women and children have been killed, according to estimates by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
There were warnings of disruption to the N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6, and L trains by those flocking to the protest, or by the protest itself.
The ‘Global Strike for Gaza’ began at Union Square before surging downtown, with later video showing protesters storming the Oculus shopping mall.
The protest announcement came after the group caused major chaos in New York City on New Year’s Day this year when they instructed participants to flood JFK’s Terminal 4.
Online flyers for the protest seem to indicate it is being run in conjunction with other pro-Palestinian groups Decolonize This Place and Existence is Resistance.
Once inside the Oculus protesters formed a drumming circle and chanted ‘Gaza’ and ‘Shut it down’
There were warnings of disruption to the N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6, and L trains by those flocking to the protest, or by the protest itself
The ‘Global Strike for Gaza’ began at Union Square before surging downtown
On X, WOL wrote, in announcing the protest: ‘To commemorate International Women’s Day and answer the call from women in Palestine, we are mobilizing as part of a Global Strike for Gaza on FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH AT 4:00 PM IN UNION SQUARE!
‘As the Zionist entity has used lies of sexual violence to legitimize the ongoing genocide in Gaza while there is no accountability for the real sexual violence that Palestinian women have experienced at the hands of occupation soldiers for decades,’ they wrote.
Members of some of these pro-Palestinian groups have continuously claimed that accounts of sexual violence against Israeli women on October 7 are ‘not true.’
‘We are going to flood New York to show the world that Palestinian liberation is inextricably linked with women’s liberation. ALL OUT FOR GAZA,’ concluded the post.
The march was one of several organized in response to Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza, which began after the October 7 attack in which Hamas slaughtered 1,200 Israelis.
The protesters ended their march at Zuccotti Park a few hours after it began.
NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry showed up to watch the demonstration but was quickly confronted, prompting cops to form a protective barrier around him.
DailyMail.com has contacted NYPD for comment.
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