Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire in the latest war over the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately this does not mean that there is still tension between Israel and Palestine. But, this tension has boiled into New York City, and things are beginning to turn vicious.
More than two dozen arrests on Thursday night after violence follow between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protestors in the city.
President Biden is partially to blame for this because of his lack of leadership over the situation. However, lawmakers have been very forward with their thoughts about the president’s lack of action, and Americans have heard this through the media.
The New York City Riots
Protests turned violent as the sun began to fall in New York City on Thursday. The New York City Police Department reported that an unidentified individual threw commercial fireworks into a crowded midtown area in the Diamond District.
The Diamond District has a solid connection to the city’s Jewish population. Nobody was killed in the attack, but one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The NYPD Arson and Explosives Squad are investigating the situation, so more details should be available by the end of the weekend.
None of the arrests were in connection to the firework attack that sparked the riots on Thursday night. Instead, police were very active in Times Square, stopping violent protestors.
There were videos from social media that revealed the ferocity between the protestors. Many were engaging in fistfights, and flag burning occurred on every corner of the city’s most visited area. A mob beat a man before the group fled when police arrived to save the individual. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating this situation; and multiple arrests should be made after evidence is collected.
There were no injuries to officers in the city throughout the night, which was a positive for the NYPD.
The Arrests
There have been 26 arrests are made on various charges until now, but more is expected from the firework situation. Including obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, illegal assembly, disorderly conduct, and criminal possession of a weapon.
New York has been a mecca for protests since the war between Israel and Hamas ensued two weeks ago. Traffic shut down outside the United Nations Israeli Consulate in the city earlier this week because of massive protests. Although, Thursday was the first time that violence has led to over two dozen arrests.
Since the conflict, online antisemitism has risen drastically in addition to in-person conflicts. The Anti-Defamation League reported this data.
The CEO of the organization Jonathan Greenblatt said, “We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism, and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. It’s happening around the world from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like New York and in small towns, and across every social media platform.”
The organization’s Twitter study occurred from May 7 to May 14, and it revealed alarming tweets like “Hitler was right.”
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