Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced a World War I memorial in New York City’s Central Park on Monday evening, defaced the base of a statue with graffiti and set fire to an American flag.
The demonstrators – part of a crowd of 1,000 people – also added Palestinian flags to the 107th Infantry monument at the intersection of East 67th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The act of deliberate vandalism was part of a ‘day of rage’ protest in which participants showed no respect for the Stars & Stripes or the war memorial above.
Video footage showed only a few protesters, but chants of “free Palestine” could be heard in the background. The word ‘Gaza’ was spray-painted onto the base of the statue in both black and red paint.
It is unclear whether police have made any arrests over the vandalism.
Pro-Palestinian protesters destroyed a World War I monument in Central Park on Monday as a thousand people marched through the city
An American flag was left burning on the ground as chants of “Free Palestine” rang out
The protesters spray-painted “Gaza” on the base with black and red paint and added Palestinian flags to the monument
The desecration of the memorials occurred when protesters were unable to get near the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art because police blocked protesters’ access to the event.
Videos and photos showed police ordering protesters from nearby streets and arresting those who did not follow the rules.
Nearly thirty anti-Israel protesters were arrested near the Met Museum.
Other protesters turned their attention to the 107th Infantry Memorial, pulling out highlighters and spray paint to make their mark. Some placed Palestinian flag stickers on the statue’s bronze soldiers.
There were no police in sight at the time as the NYPD went to great lengths to protect the ongoing star-studded gala some fifteen blocks north.
Video footage showed some protesters chanting “free Palestine” as they defaced the statue and draped a Palestinian flag over it
The act occurred when protesters were unable to reach the Met Gala, prompting them to target the 107th Infantry Memorial instead.
Anti-Israel protesters vandalized a World War I memorial in Central Park
Protesters cheered those who defaced the monument with waving Palestinian flags
On Monday evening, demonstrators marched through New York City after starting in Manhattan’s Upper East and Hunter College. They went to the Met as celebrities arrived.
The protests — officially billed as part of a “Day of Rage for Gaza: From the Encampments to the Streets” — began earlier Monday afternoon at Columbia University and NYU downtown, with the two groups meeting near the Gala.
Both protests met at CUNY Hunter College – just a mile from the Met, or about a 20-minute walk before heading into town – at 5pm.
After confronting police, protesters began marching along Park Avenue, blocking the southbound lanes.
Uniformed officers could walk the streets armed with dozens of plastic zip ties, in case more protesters wanted to show up and cause disruption.
A woman was forced to the ground by NYPD officers as she was arrested
A thousand pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with the NYPD on Monday evening, just a block away from the Met Gala in New York
Dozens of protesters were arrested along Madison Avenue and East 84th Street as police tried to ensure none of the demonstrators spilled over onto neighboring Fifth Avenue where the Met Gala was taking place.
The protesters received a quick response from the NYPD, who braced for them
A woman wearing a keffiyeh is arrested by the NYPD
Police are confronted by pro-Palestinian protesters at the Met Gala
Police arrest an ultra-Orthodox Jewish pro-Palestinian protester near the Met Gala
Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester near the Met Gala
A pro-Palestinian protester is arrested at the scene before the Met Gala even started
The NYPD had previously said it was well prepared, adding that it would “have adequate security deployments in place.”
NYPD sources said the Met will have a larger security contingent than usual, with plainclothes police both inside and outside the museum along Fifth Avenue, at the iconic Upper East Side location.
New York Mayor Eric Adams joined police in noting how “outside agitators” had been involved in the college demonstrations that had engulfed college campuses across the city over the past two weeks.
Protesters in Gaza have not hesitated to disrupt other high-profile events in the city, including the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and last year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.
The Met Gala sees some of the biggest names in film, fashion, music, sports, politics and social media, making it a lightning rod for protests.
Nationwide campus protests began in Columbia in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife make a grand entrance amid tight New York Police Department security at the Met Gala in New York City
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered Monday night at Hunter College in Manhattan, just a mile away from the star-studded 2024 Met Gala.
The demonstrators’ message was clear as they called for an end to the war in Gaza
On Monday, the Ivy League school announced the cancellation of its university-wide commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 15.
“Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale school celebrations are the most meaningful for them and their families,” the university said Monday. “As a result, we will focus our resources on those school ceremonies and on ensuring they are conducted safely, respectfully and smoothly.”
This comes days after New York police rushed into Columbia wearing riot gear to break up the tent camp and take back Hamilton Hall from its student occupiers.
More than 100 people were arrested at New York City University, according to CNN. Police said no injuries were reported and no people resisted arrest.