A pro-Palestinian protester was filmed burning the Israeli flag as demonstrators from both sides of the Middle East conflict descended on New York City’s Washington Square Park Wednesday evening.
The demonstrations came after a blast at a hospital in Gaza that Hamas claims killed at least 500 people.
The attack sparked worldwide anger, with Palestine blaming Israel and Israeli officials saying it was a misfired rocket from inside Gaza.
Demonstrations erupted across the Middle East over the attack. The US was no different with Israel and Palestine supporters both heading to Washington Square Park.
A video from the event shows several Palestine supporters chanting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ as they burned the Jewish state’s Star of David flag. One protester wearing red added: ‘Come take this st! Fk Israel!’
Reports have suggested there were hundreds of pro-Palestine marchers and dozens of pro-Israel protesters at the park.
The leaders of the pro-Palestine faction were from the NYU Students for Justice in Palestine. Along with other campus organisations. They were marching to criticise the university’s president for denouncing the Hamas attack.
The accused NYU President Linda Mills of ‘erasure’ of Palestine in her comments on the shock Hamas attacks that have killed 1,400.
‘In her recent statement, President [Linda] Mills makes the decision to continue this trend of dismissal and blatant erasure of the experiences of Palestinians, both at NYU and in Palestine,’ the student group wrote.
‘The statement makes no mention of the excessive violence against Palestinians in the last few days, despite 413 Palestinians having been murdered in Gaza within the past 48 hours. It is framed to portray an untrue and misrepresentative picture where ‘terrorist attacks’ were only occurring against Israeli citizens.’
According to NBC New York, the huge crowd finally came face to face with the pro-Israel supporters. Aside from the flag burning, the event seemed peaceful but the NYPD attempted to create separation between the groups.
According to CBS New York, the NYPD Intel Division said it was monitoring social media postings for any potential threats.
‘You bombed a hospital! You bombed a hospital!’ chanted some of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, the New York Post reported.
‘Bring them home! Terrorists! Terrorists! Terrorists!’ responded pro-Israel marchers, in reference to the many hostages taken by Hamas after the initial attack.
Some marchers held signs demanding the US cut funding to Israel, while another held a sign to remember Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old from Illinois stabbed by a man thought to be influenced by coverage of the attacks this past weekend.
Perhaps they should go and become freedom fighters over in Gaza if they feel that passionate about what’s going on. Radicals are not needed in the US or any other country.
Sadly, baby boomer Democrats had a lot of venomous political rhetoric, but for most, it’s a game to them. The problem is they then passed it on to their children who now take it seriously, and hate has a home everywhere.
War has been with us since the dawn of time and sadly it will never end.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 