NEW YORK — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the Brooklyn Museum on Friday afternoon, setting up tents in the lobby and unfurling a “Free Palestine” banner from the building’s roof before police moved in to make arrests.
New York police officers addressed And beaten Some protesters during clashes that broke out in the crowd outside the museum, with some demonstrators throwing plastic bottles at officers and shouting insults. Other demonstrators held banners, waved Palestinian flags and sang loudly on the steps of the grand Beaux Arts museum, the city’s second largest.
The rally started Friday afternoon across the street from the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. Protesters beat drums and sang, then headed to the museum about a mile away.
Organizers, including the group Within Our Lifetime, called on their supporters to “flood” and “evacuate” the museum, saying they wanted to take over the building until officials ” disclosure and disposal ” of all investments related to Israeli actions in Gaza.
Videos posted on social media showed guards inside the museum tries to secure his doors against the growing crowd and demonstrators who found other ways in.
Spokespeople for the museum did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment late Friday, but an NYPD spokesperson confirmed that protesters had been taken into custody. The department did not immediately have an estimate of the number of people arrested and the charges they could face.
New York City has seen hundreds of street demonstrations since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October.
The Brooklyn Museum is located on the edge of Crown Heights, home to one of the city’s largest communities of Orthodox Jews.
