'My brothers and sisters are being killed': Scenes from a Bay Ridge rally for Palestine

A protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza Saturday resulted in clashes with NYPD and multiple arrests

A protest in support of the people of Palestine that began peacefully Saturday devolved into chaos by nightfall, resulting in the arrests of more than a dozen people.

Police say 19 people were detained and 16 people were cited for disorderly conduct, according to ABC7 New York.

Police making arrests at sundown along Fifth Avenue (Stephanie Keith)

It didn’t start that way. By 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, the morning’s rain had subsided and thousands of people had flooded the streets of Bay Ridge to rally for the besieged Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip. All along Fifth Avenue, the heart of the Palestinian enclave of Brooklyn, demonstrators waved flags, held signs and chanted “no justice, no peace” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

(Photo by Stephanie Keith)

“My brother is a physician,” said Shaymaa Ashi, a Palestinian who has family currently in Gaza, through tears. “He goes to the hospital every day to save lives, but what’s going on there is unbelievable. My in-laws are also there and evacuated their homes. My in-laws’ house has been bombed down to the ground level, and now they are sheltering with other families. It’s a situation that no one in on earth can bear.”

(Photo by Stephanie Keith)

Organized by a group called Within Our Lifetime, the rally called for an end to airstrikes on civilians in Gaza and for a halt to U.S. funding for the Israeli military.

(Photo by Stephanie Keith)

The afternoon began peacefully as the rally was joined by several other groups in solidarity, including Plaza Tonatiuh, UAW Union and Jews for Peace. From 70th to 73rd Streets and along the side streets, the crowd was packed with families, young people, elders, Palestinians, Muslim allies and American allies. People moved along the crowded streets, in and out of the various Arab cafes and restaurants wearing traditional Palestinian dress and audibly praying for the people of Gaza to get humanitarian aid and end the siege.

“For us, it means a lot,” said Abdullah Taylor, who is Muslim. “One part of us is hurting, and my brothers and sisters are being killed unjustly. It causes a lot of pain, so that’s the reason why a lot of us Muslims are here today; that’s why am I here, specifically to stand beside my Muslim brothers and sisters.”

(Photo by Stephanie Keith)

Yosef Amresh, a Palestinian man who came to the protest with his mother, wife, infant son and mother-in-law, added, “It’s very heartwarming to see so many people from a different ethnicities and different religions come together to stand in solidarity, fulfilling the purpose to stand with justice and to spread awareness.”

At about 4:30, the protesters had finished an afternoon prayer and had resumed the peaceful march around the neighborhood. Within half an hour, police barricaded Fifth Avenue. The protesters changed their direction and continued to march for the next hour, playing a bit of a cat-and-mouse game with the police until sundown, when the police massed at 67th Street and Fifth Avenue, a few blocks from the BQE. (Two years ago, Palestinian protesters blocked the BQE, so police seemed intent on avoiding a repeat.)

(Photo by Stephanie Keith)

A stand-off ensued. Protesters shouted for police to get out of the way while more cops filed in, equipped with zip ties. It was tense. The sun set. A few protesters threw water bottles at police. Police demanded over a loudspeaker that everyone get on the sidewalk or they would be arrested. The police advanced, arresting at least a dozen protesters. Once the street was cleared, the police turned their attention to those on the sidewalk, literally attacking people gathered there: This reporter saw a policeman punch a protester in the face.