Authorities have stated that on Monday (October 14), over 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators engaging in a sit-in protest were arrested outside the New York Stock Exchange, demanding the United States to cease its support for Israel. Many of the protesters were from “Jewish Voice for Peace,” a well-known anti-Israel action group. They chanted slogans like “Let Gaza Live” and “Stop Funding Genocide.”
According to participating Jewish groups, approximately 500 protesters joined the demonstration. While no protesters entered the stock exchange, around 200 individuals crossed the security barriers set up outside the main building and sat in protest, waiting to be arrested. Some demonstrators deliberately went limp on the ground as police carried them away during the arrest operation.
A police spokesperson announced the arrest of a total of 206 individuals but did not provide detailed information. The stock exchange did not immediately comment on the situation.
The protesters expressed their anger towards American arms manufacturers and opposed Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Jewish Voice for Peace stated online, “At this moment, the Israeli military is carrying out a campaign of extermination in northern Gaza, slaughtering one family after another. Therefore, hundreds of Jews and friends are shutting down the New York Stock Exchange, demanding the U.S. stop providing weapons to Israel and profiting from genocide.”
Jewish Voice for Peace is a Jewish left-wing activist organization in the United States that is anti-Zionist.
Israel has denied allegations of genocide in the International Court of Justice, asserting that their military actions in Gaza are targeting Hamas terrorists. According to statistics from the Israeli Defense Forces, they have eliminated 17,000 terrorists in the past year of combat.
At the protest on Monday, there were also a few pro-Israel counter-protesters waving Israeli flags.
The protest occurred a week before the global commemoration of the events on October 7. According to Israeli statistics, on October 7, 2023, Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis during a cross-border assault and took 251 hostages.
Subsequently, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a ground operation in Gaza. Currently, conflicts have escalated to Lebanon and other areas as Israel clashes with multiple militias supported by Iran. These groups self-identify as the “Axis of Resistance,” including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and several armed groups in Iraq.
According to Gaza health officials, the military attacks launched by Israel on Gaza have resulted in nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed and displaced a large number of people.