The pro-Palestinian protests, which were met with pro-Israeli demonstrations, were largely held peacefully.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched on Friday to back besieged civilians in Gaza and call for an end to Israeli occupation
Thousands of people have marched in New York City to support Palestinians and raise awareness about Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip.
Protests were seen across multiple neighbourhoods in the sprawling United States city on Friday, with demonstrators chanting “Free Palestine” and calling for an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
People attend a demonstration in Times Square to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the continuing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City
Videos showed dozens of people demonstrating in front of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer’s home in Brooklyn on Friday night to demand a ceasefire as he was preparing to travel to Israel with a delegation of lawmakers.
New York City also saw counterprotests on Friday, with pro-Israeli demonstrators taking to the streets and at times getting into verbal arguments with supporters of the Palestinians.
The city had gone on a state of alert in preparation for the protests and police presence and patrols were ramped up in what some have called an International Day of Action for Palestine.
The protests ended up being largely peaceful, but several dozen people were reportedly arrested throughout the day, and in front of Schumer’s home, as police officers tried to break up crowds.
New York, which is home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel, has previously seen a series of demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause as well as gatherings in solidarity with Israelis who have been killed by Hamas.
“I feel it’s my duty, not just as a Muslim, but also as a human being, to see everyone show up because of the crimes that the Israel occupation has caused upon the Palestinian people,” Laibah Faiaz, a 21-year-old protester in New York, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
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