Pro-Palestinian protesters congregated on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Friday night to demand that Israel stop retaliating against Hamas, shouting: “‘Never again’ for anyone” after the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Hundreds of demonstrators of all ages parked themselves on the steps of the New York Public Library to urge a “cease-fire, now!” as well as an end to Israel’s alleged apartheid and occupation of Palestinian land. The crowd grew so massive that police officers said it was blocking visitors from exiting the building.
“Never again means never again for anyone,” a Palestinian activist, who said he was Jewish, yelled into a bullhorn. “Never again means now.” The chant was repeated by the crowd.
The phrase “Never again” usually refers to the historical lessons learned from the attempted extermination of the Jews under the Nazi regime. Hamas, which killed over 1,400 Israelis and took hundreds of others hostage, explicitly calls in its charter for the eradication of Jews in Israel and around the world. In their barbaric onslaught on October 7, the Islamic terrorists also raped, tortured, maimed, burned alive, and kidnapped civilians.
However, signs at the demonstration indicated that participants accused Israel of being the aggressor. “Israel commits war crimes,” one sign read. “Apartheid will never be justified,” said another. “Zionism is terrorism,” another sign read.
“It is our moral responsibility to oppose the genocide in Gaza,” the Jewish speaker said. “Bring your friends until we ensure the last bomb has fallen.”
The event was sponsored by the NYC Democratic Socialists of America. Other organizations in attendance included Jewish Voices for Peace-NY, the Movement of Rank and File Educators, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers’ union in the nation, and the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, among others.
A Muslim woman from one of the groups addressed the protesters as “a Palestinian, as a New Yorker, and as a proud socialist.” She blasted New York governor Kathy Hochul and New York City mayor Eric Adams for supporting Israel following Hamas’s horrific attack. The crowd booed after the Democratic politicians were denounced.
“They bombed a hospital and 1,000 Palestinians were murdered,” she said, parroting a narrative, with exaggerated numbers, that has since been debunked. The Palestinian Health Ministry initially claimed that an Israeli air strike had destroyed a hospital in Gaza Tuesday night, killing 500 civilians. However, American and Israeli intelligence later confirmed that the strike was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Before enough evidence emerged, many legacy media outlets automatically concluded in their coverage that Israel was at fault.
The Palestinian speaker encouraged Palestinians not to leave Gaza because if they do, “Israel can bomb them” and expedite the takeover of their land. Israel has warned Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south of the strip in advance of its looming ground offensive and more targeted air strikes.
Amid a downpour, most protesters stayed in place, yelling: “Not another nickel not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” and other chants.
Asked about the relationship between the Palestinian cause and Hamas, one woman said: “I think it’s totally possible to condemn what Hamas did while understanding the emotions that gave rise to it.
“Because of decades of brutalization and oppression,” she said.
A man who represented a contingent of Marxists at the protest assured that most protesters would not condone Hamas, although he said “there are some Palestinian nationalists who would justify Hamas.”