The NYPD is taking heat over a violent clash with demonstrators at an anti-Israel event in Brooklyn that led to more than a dozen arrests Saturday.
The busts came during a Nakba Day protest in Bay Ridge that was broken up by cops — with footage posted online showing New York’s Finest pinning down and even slugging demonstrators.
“Bay Ridge is home to the largest Palestinian community in New York City,” city Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), told The Post on Sunday. “There has been a Nakba Day demonstration here every year for the past decade without violence.
“I saw no evidence of actions by protestors yesterday that warranted such an aggressive response from NYPD,” he said. “These were not our local cops. Clearly, there was a ‘zero tolerance’ edict sent down from 1PP [police headquarters] which escalated everything and made it worse.
“I’m still waiting on information and details about the arrests that were made, but from my vantage point, the response appeared pre-emptive, retaliatory and cumulatively aggressive,” Brannan added.
Nakba Day notes the start of the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948 and is viewed by Palestinians as the beginning of their displacement — with Brannan adding that this year’s turnout was smaller than past years.
Video footage posted online shows police in a confrontation with the protesters, including two instances where cops are seen hurling punches at demonstrators who are pinned to the ground.
Officers are also seen trying to keep other demonstrators back during the raucous encounter.
It is unclear what occurred before the confrontations seen on the videos.
Police in the Big Apple have had their hands full with anti-Israeli protests in recent months. The demonstrations have occurred after the Oct. 7 sneak attack on the Jewish state by Palestinian Hamas terrorists — and the massive Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip.
Controversial city Councilwoman Ember Ollum, who raised eyebrows when she urged Black Lives Matter demonstrators to attack cops and hurl bottles at them during George Floyd protests, also chimed in after Saturday’s arrests.
“I don’t remember this many helicopters and violent arrests when we close our avenues every other week during the summer for festivals,” Ollum wrote on X. “If people carry flags, suddenly pedestrians in the street are a threat?”
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.