Thousands of protesters demanding eradication of Israel clash with NYPD
Thousands of anti-Israel protesters clashed with police Saturday night after they refused to vacate the Bay Ridge street they had flooded for hours.
The “Flood Brooklyn for Palestine” demonstration devolved into chaos as night fell, with protesters completely shutting down traffic, screaming at police and lighting small fires in the middle of the roadways.
The aggressive protesters dug their heels into the ground when the NYPD tried to push them out of 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue, where 5,000 ralliers converged earlier in the day to demand that the United States withdraw support for its closest ally in the Middle East.
Officers began plucking individuals out of the massive flood — as well as from the inside of one pick-up truck carrying ralliers — of the Palestine flag-waving horde in an effort to quell the out-of-control rally.
“It got pretty heated,” a law enforcement source told The Post.
A young teenager was seen trying to hold an older woman carrying a “Zionism is Genocide” sign who was being yanked by two officers.
Some rioters lobbed eggs at the swarming cops.
Protesters continued shouting in the streets, as well as chanting over small barbecue fires they set up in the road.
The NYPD confirmed that approximately two dozen people were taken into custody during the chaos, but it was unclear whether those detained by police were formally arrested or issued summonses.
The overwhelming demonstration kicked off hours earlier in one of the largest Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York City
“We are calling for full liberation of all of Palestine . . . to every single inch, from river to the sea,” shouted one protester, repeating a refrain used by Hamas terrorists and their anti-Israel backers.