(USNewsMag.com) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has become the latest target of pro-Palestinian activists, who gathered outside the senator’s residence in Brooklyn and called on the United States government to stop funding Israel’s war efforts in the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, April 23rd, a large crowd of demonstrators amassed on the street outside of Schumer’s home on the second day of the Jewish holiday Passover. Aerial video footage shared by a journalist on social media showed a crowd appearing to be in the hundreds.
The protest, billed as a “Seder in the Streets,” was organized to put pressure on the Democratic senator and the Biden administration to “stop arming Israel.” In Jewish tradition, a “seder” is a meal eaten during Passover, usually on the first or first two days of the holiday, and includes stories, songs, special foods, and more. Many of the protesters at the event were Jews who opposed Israel’s military operations and chanted, “Stop funding genocide,” “Let Gaza live,” and “cease-fire NOW.”
Among the groups represented in the gathering were If Not Now, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice’s New York chapter, and the New York chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, which posted about the event on social media. Their central demand was for the U.S. government to stop sending money and weapons to Israel for its ongoing war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which was escalated by an attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7th, 2023.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) warned protesters that they were blocking traffic and would face arrest on charges of disorderly conduct if they didn’t vacate the street and stay on the sidewalk. Many protesters refused to comply as a form of civil disobedience, and large groups were arrested, placed on buses, and driven away to police headquarters for booking. None of the protesters resisted arrest and all of them went peacefully.
The protest was one among many across the country following the Senate’s passing of a $95.3 billion foreign aid package the same day, which includes money for Ukraine, defending Taiwan, and Israel. The package also included aid for Palestinians impacted by Israel’s military operations, which have killed over 34,000 people since the Oct. 7th Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200.
Schumer called the measure “one of the most consequential” passed by Congress “in years” and would protect U.S. national security and “the future of Democracy.”
Copyright 2024, USNewsMag.com
