Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters forced the temporary closure of Grand Central Terminal Friday night as they staged a massive sit-in inside the station’s concourse.
Train service was halted at about 7:30 p.m. and the MTA directed Metro North customers to take the subway to the Harlem-125th Street station in order to catch a train heading north.
The demonstrators wearing black shirts that said “Jews say cease fire now” took over the station’s vast concourse and some of the protesters climbed atop the ticket counter with large banners that read “Palestinians should be FREE” and “Never again for anyone.”
Others dropped banners from the top of the terminal’s staircases and chanted “Mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”
“No more weapons. No more war. Ceasefire is what we’re fighting for,” the demonstrators also chanted at one point. Others demanded an end to Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians.
The sit-in demonstration, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, comes hours after Israel Defense Forces announced its plan to “expand” its ground operations in the cut-off enclave where some 7,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Access to the station was initially restricted before the MTA announced it’s closure due to the protests.
“Grand Central Terminal is closed due to a demonstration in the area,” the MTA tweeted. “Customers should travel to Harlem-125th St for Metro-North service to points north.”
Video from the scene showed demonstrators chanting “let us through” at a barricade of police officers as they tried to enter the station from the street.