Police Arrest Hundreds at Mass Protests

(NationRise.com) – The New York Police Department announced on January 8 it arrested 325 pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they were blocking the Holland Tunnell and three different bridges in the New York area. During a press conference, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said that protesters blocked some “structures” at 9:40 am and pointed out that the New York Port Authority and the NYPD made the arrests and cleared the location by 11:15 am.

The demonstrators gathered at the Holland Tunnel, the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Williamsburg Bridge. They were holding signs that called for the Israeli government to “end the occupation” and lift Gaza’s siege. City officials were at the scene to clear the path for vehicles.

Various videos published on social media showed many of the demonstrators chanting “free Palestine” and anti-Israel slogans. These types of massive pro-Palestine protests have become common all across the United States and other Western nations since the Israeli government declared war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas after the October 7 attacks.

On December 27, which is considered one of the busiest travel days that the country lives every year, pro-Palestinian protesters held a similar demonstration at the John F. Kennedy International Airport and the Los Angeles International Airport. Also, on January 8, Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters interrupted US President Joe Biden on different occasions during a speech he was delivering in South Carolina at the Mother Emanuel Church.

At one moment, the commander-in-chief had to stop his speech to communicate directly with the protesters, saying to them that he understands “their passion.” He also told them that he has been working with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end their war as soon as possible.

Following the arrests by the NYPD at the bridges, New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference that while he supports the right to protests, no one in the state nor the country has the right to block “traffic.”