Hundreds of Agitators Swarm Chuck Schumer’s House in Chaotic Scene
Over 100 protesters, including many of Jewish descent, were arrested outside the residence of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in New York City on Tuesday night.
On the second day of Passover, hundreds, possibly thousands, of individuals identifying as Jewish gathered in Schumer's Brooklyn neighborhood for a demonstration dubbed "Seder in the Streets," as reported by the New York Post.
At Grand Army Plaza, protesters demanded an end to U.S. military aid to Israel amidst its ongoing conflict with Hamas, an Islamist group, now in its seventh consecutive month since the devastating terror attacks in Gaza that claimed over 1,200 Israeli lives last October.
Footage from various sources on social media platforms indicated that the organized protest commenced around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Participants sported shirts emblazoned with "CEASEFIRE NOW," while some wielded placards bearing the message "STOP FUNDING GENOCIDE."
A banner laid out on the ground proclaimed, "JEWS SAY STOP ARMING ISRAEL – NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE."
#NYC Today at 5:30pm in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, JVP is hosting an emergency “Sedar In the Streets”, where Jewish people for ceasefire are hosting a Sedar to demand the U.S stop arming Israel with bombs pic.twitter.com/lHWH18wMO7
— Spyder Monkey (@SpyderMonkey0_0) April 23, 2024
Subsequently, protesters began obstructing traffic, prompting police intervention, as per reports from the New York Post.
A video shared online depicted chants of "Ceasefire now!" erupting as law enforcement officers initiated arrests.
#NOW Hundreds gathered for "Seder in the Streets" outside of Senator Schumer's home, shutting down Brooklyn street and risking arrests for Gaza and demanding to "Stop Arming Israel". pic.twitter.com/xmFaBB1ck5
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) April 23, 2024
Other protesters were heard shouting, "Let Gaza live!"
At least 100 still sit in the roadway as police swiftly move in to make arrests. Protestors chanting “ceasefire now” pic.twitter.com/7TO6Mpb5lr
— Liam Quigley (@_elkue) April 24, 2024
As of early Wednesday, the New York Police Department had not disclosed the exact number of arrests, although the New York Post stated that at least 100 individuals were apprehended.
Jewish Voice for Peace NYC, the organization allegedly behind the protest at Schumer's residence, explained in a detailed thread on social media that the demonstration was a reaction to the Senate's approval of a $95 billion foreign aid package earlier that day.
This Passover protest comes as the Senate prepares to send an additional $14.1 billion in weapons to the Israeli military, ushering through a slushfund to the Israeli military just after a mass grave of 300+ Palestinians was uncovered at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
— Jewish Voice for Peace NYC (@jvpliveNY) April 23, 2024
Today marks 200 days of the Israeli government carrying out a genocide, armed and funded by the US. Israeli forces have killed over 33,000 Palestinians, including 14,000 children, and rendered almost 2 million homeless and over 1 million starving.
— Jewish Voice for Peace NYC (@jvpliveNY) April 23, 2024
Of the allocated funds for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, CNN reported that a total of $26 billion would support the Israeli military and Palestinians in Gaza, with approximately $17 billion designated for Israel.
President Joe Biden pledged to sign the bill, a compilation of House-passed legislation from the previous Saturday, on Wednesday morning.
In a statement, Biden asserted, "This critical legislation will make our nation and world more secure as we support our friends who are defending themselves against terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin."