Five people – two of them minors – were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest on Staten Island that descended into chaos, with clashes between demonstrators and cops, according to authorities and videos from the scene.
The “Flood Staten Island for Gaza” demonstration – sponsored by the group Within Our Lifetime United for Palestine – kicked off Tuesday evening outside Staten Island Borough Hall on Richmond Terrace, drawing about 400 protesters.
Two boys — whose ages were not released — in addition to three men, 18, 20 and 31, were slapped with summonses for disorderly conduct, the NYPD said Wednesday.
Police did not provide additional details on the circumstances that led to the summonses being issued.
Videos posted to social media showed tensions heating up between protesters and police at the demonstration.
In one clip, a crowd of protesters were gathered behind barricades as a group of cops ran over, one of them yelling, “Get back over now, or you’re going to jail!”
“Back up!” the officer repeatedly yells, while pushing back the barricades.
Later in the clip, officers can be seen moving into the assembled crowd behind the barricades, one of them yelling, “I want him!”
In another video, a woman can be heard yelling, “Stop! What are you doing!” as cops appear to arrest a male protester next to an NYPD bus.
The protesters were largely fed up with Staten Island elected officials’ vocal support for Israel.
One video from the demonstration shows a speaker warning politicians who support Israel: “We will go to them in restaurants! We will go to them in front of their homes!”
“Keep shutting down New York City and the entire world until Palestine is free from the river to the sea!” he rallied the crowd.
Abdullah Akl, co-organizer and member of Within Our Lifetime, told The Staten Island Advance that “media and politicians and really all across the world, people have been putting up this one-sided perspective on what’s been going on in Palestine and specifically in Gaza.”
“What we’ve been seeing also is over 11,000 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel and by the occupation simply for being Palestinian,” Akl said.
About midway through the protest, Borough Hall was lit up blue in support of Tuesday’s March for Israel in Washington DC – described as “the largest pro-Israel gathering in history.’’
Akl condemned that show of pro-Israel support, arguing that the politicians who previously claimed to support the Islamic community – even showing up to Eid prayer gatherings – have now betrayed them.
“And so it’s really a slap in the face to the Muslim community, specifically on Staten Island, to see the same elected officials that come to our prayers turn around and not even ask us for our opinion, and just completely go out with these one-sided statements,” he told The Advance.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella defended the display.
“If any community knows the full effects of terrorism, it is Staten Island, given the tragedy of 9/11,” Fossella told the paper,
“We should have zero tolerance for terrorist organizations and their willingness to slaughter innocent people, including children. That is what happened in Israel over a month ago,” he said, referring to Hamas’ Oct. 7 sneak attack on the Jewish state that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
“We stand with the people who wish to live their lives in peace, free from the shadow of fear.”
City Council Member Joe Borelli struck a similar tone in a statement issued to The Advance.
“If there are some who are angered by seeing these blue lights, tough luck,” the Republican said.
“I was angered seeing the murder of innocent civilians on live TV. I am angered by seeing New Yorkers tearing down the hostage posters that clearly give them shame. I am angered by seeing those who hate Israel and Jews, making it clear that they also hate America and all Americans who disagree with them.”