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Protesters flood Grand Central, calling for Israel-Hamas cease-fire—and leading MTA to close terminal
By
Catalina Gonella
and
Andrew Giambrone
Published Oct 27, 2023
Modified Oct 27, 2023
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Catalina Gonella/Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
and
Andrew Giambrone
Published Oct 27, 2023
Modified Oct 27, 2023
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The MTA closed Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan for nearly two hours on Friday night as hundreds of protesters crowded the main concourse calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, which is now entering its fourth week.
Protesters began flooding the station at 6 p.m., during the evening rush hour. They assembled along the steps leading to the Apple Store on the upper level and chanted, “no more weapons, no more war, cease-fire’s what we’re calling for!”
Members of the crowd condemned the United States’ support of Israel as the war’s death toll continues to increase. Many protesters wore shirts stating “not in our name” and “Jews say cease-fire now.”
The demonstration was held by Jewish Voice for Peace, a national Jewish anti-Zionist group that organized a similar mass sit-in at the U.S. Capitol last week that led to about 300 arrests.
Protesters at Grand Central said many more people weren’t able to make it inside after the MTA restricted access to the station.
Meanwhile, frustrated commuters trying to exit and enter the terminal crowded the only two entrances the transit authority temporarily kept open about halfway through the protest. Access to the station was first restricted to ticketed customers only shortly after 5 p.m., then limited to exit only at the two entrances after 7 p.m., and then completely shut down around 7:30 p.m.
The station was reopened to ticketed customers only shortly after 9 p.m., with entrance and exit access limited to the doors at 105 East 42nd St., the MTA said.
An hour into the protest, NYPD officers were on the scene and used a loudspeaker to verbally warn the crowd that people would be arrested if they did not clear the space.
Demonstrators continued to sing as they staged a sit-in on the floor of the terminal.
Jane Hirschmann, who attended the protest with her friend and daughter, stayed put in her spot at the center of the sit-in.
“I am a child of Holocaust survivors,” she said. “My whole family was affected by the Holocaust in Germany. And I understood, I grew up understanding that ‘never again’ means everybody, not just for Jews, but for everybody. And Palestine right now is very important, that we Jews stand up and say 'no, not in our name, stop the genocide, stop the killing.'”
Protesters gathered at Grand Central Terminal Friday night calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Catalina Gonella/Gothamist
New York State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher and State Sen. Julia Salazar, who released a joint statement on the violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories earlier this month, were among the protesters Friday. Actress Indya Moore also participated in the demonstration.
“I've heard from both Israeli Americans and from Palestinian Americans and from a number of other kinds of constituents that they are very concerned about the incredible and terrible violence in Gaza and they want to see representation of their voice,” Gallagher said. “So I am here to represent my constituents and my own viewpoint, which is that we need a peaceful cease-fire.”
Gallagher, who represents the North Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, was later seen being put in handcuffs by police officers and escorted out of the station.
At least 200 people were taken into custody and were being processed Friday night, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
The protest was organized in response to a resolution passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday broadly reaffirming its support of Israel. The resolution condemns Hamas, calls for the return of all hostages, and asserts the House’s readiness to “assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.”
New York Congressional Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among the 10 lawmakers who voted against the resolution.
Protesters gathered at Grand Central Terminal Friday night calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Catalina Gonella/Gothamist
Jewish Voice for Peace organizer Jay Saper applauded Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez and called on the United States government to stop its support of Israel as it continues its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
“We believe that the bombings of Gaza have to stop now," Saper said. "We are raising our voices to say that we refuse to allow our own pain and trauma to be used to justify further acts of violence against another people.”
“We do not want Congress to support the Israeli military in this moment as it is carrying out [a] ruthless bombing campaign, [with] over 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza,” he added.
Friday’s action was the latest in a series of local protests related to the Israel-Hamas war since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. On Wednesday, college students across the city walked out of class to show support for Palestinians, and last Saturday, hundreds of people turned out for a pro-Palestinian protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where 19 were arrested.
As of Oct. 24, more than 230 people had been arrested at more than 100 local protests since Oct. 7, NYPD officials said this week. Most of those arrested were issued summonses, and the protests have largely been peaceful, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said at a press briefing Tuesday.
This story has been updated. Bahar Ostadan contributed reporting.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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