Over 100 taken into custody, including local lawmakers, during protest over Israeli PM’s UN speech
Councilmembers Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés were among those taken into custody as the demonstration took over First Avenue on Thursday, according to their spokespeople.
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The NYPD says around 103 people were taken into custody and received criminal summonses for disorderly conduct during a large protest in Manhattan ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.
Councilmembers Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés were among those detained as the demonstration took over First Avenue, according to their spokespeople.
Jewish Voice for Peace, a grassroots movement, led the protest. According to its organizers, a number of local elected and public figures, as well as and congressional nominees, marched alongside approximately 400 New Yorkers.
The movement says it stands with Palestinians and is calling on the world to stop providing arms to Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Citizen app footage of First Avenue shows the large group of protesters flooding the street, met by numerous NYPD officers.
A spokesperson for Ossé says the councilmember is being held at 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan.
Police say a those in custody are being processed and information on charges is expected Thursday night.
The protests, both in solidarity and against the prime minister, come amid an ongoing war of words between Netanyahu and Mamdani. During his campaign, Mamdani vowed to have Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York City. He reiterated that sentiment in July and later admitted he did not have the authority to do so.
This week, the mayor repeated his criticism calling Netanyahu “an architect of genocide” and a “war criminal.”
Netanyahu has rejected those accusations and posted a video on social media saying he was coming to the U.N. to “tell the truth.”
On Thursday, the prime minister took the podium at 2 p.m. - at the same time dozens of dignitaries walked out of the chambers in their own protest. He addressed them as “moral cowards,” inviting anyone else to leave the room before his speech.
He then turned his attention to Mayor Mamdani.
"You've repeatedly accused Israel of genocide. Mr. Mamdani, you tried to stop me from coming here. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth. And here's the simple truth. Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide," he said.
