Over 100 protesters were arrested on Monday, January 8, 2024 after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic at New York City bridges and tunnels.
© Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
(New York, NY) – After yet another round of pro-Palestinian protests in New York City, over 300 protesters have been arrested — both by the NYPD and by Port Authority of NY-NJ cops. The group first gathered in Manhattan on Monday morning, and eventually they massed at the Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Manhattan Bridges — as well as the Holland Tunnel, on the Manhattan side.
Shortly after the group showed up, Port Authority cops began making arrested at the Holland Tunnel. Traffic was blocked around 9:30, and cars were then flowing again around one hour later. For the Brooklyn Bridge, traffic got moving again at 11:00 AM, while traffic remained blocked at the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges shortly before 11:30 AM.
In recent weeks, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has spoken out concerning the NYPD’s rules of engagement with protesters. Things were changed after Black Lives Matter protesters received a big payout in a settlement, tied to the 2020 George Floyd riots. On Monday, Adams reaffirmed the right to protest — but said no one has the right to block bridges and tunnels: “The goal is to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city, some people are not just driving to and from, across our bridges to go to their place of employment, some of them are dealing with some real emergency type issues. I have been extremely clear, it gives us all pain to see innocent lives being lost right now, we need to do whatever is possible to end anything that is going to take the lives of innocent people, but Hamas must be destroyed, they are a terrorist organization.”
The mayor also specifically addressed the concept of hostage taking, and he called for an end to armed conflict worldwide: “Not just what is going on in the Middle East, but what is going on in Ukraine, and parts of the continent of Africa, there is no place for war and innocent people losing their lives,” Adams said.
