In what was likely a preview of what's to come at the Democratic National Convention next week, a group of anti-Israel activists unleashed smoke bombs and hurled insults in Harlem on Wednesday night following a pro-Kamala Harris campaign event.
The mob, some wearing keffiyehs, stormed a crowded restaurant, accusing patrons at the bar of "setting Palestine on fire," seemingly in response to Israel's counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip after a deadly Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
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Video shows the bartender making a phone call as patrons try to ignore the interruption. Police soon arrived to make arrests as the mob blared horns, rang bells and shouted in a chaotic scene.
Only a few dozen protesters were reported at Wednesday night's havoc in Harlem. Tens of thousands are expected at the largest rallies planned for Chicago next week.
"What you saw the NYPD dealing with on the streets of New York in response to the Democratic rally to endorse Kamala Harris is a preview of what law enforcement in Chicago will be dealing with next week at the Democratic National Convention," said John Macari, a retired NYPD lieutenant and co-host of "The Finest Unfiltered Podcast."
"Soft-on-crime blue city laws and policy have emboldened agitators and those looking to incite riots during protests."
While Harris wasn't at the event, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y), Mayor Eric Adams, and other local Democrats were present.
"This is happening more and more," said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based attorney and former prosecutor told Fox News Digital. "The problem is that, one, this is happening in Dem-run cities where the prosecutors will refuse to prosecute them for unlawful conduct. By not prosecuting, the cities are inviting the riots to happen and are just as culpable when they do."
Gelman also noted that anti-Israel agitators are arguing that their riotous acts are protected under the First Amendment.
"When you are violent and threaten violence, you aren’t protected by free speech anymore," he explained. "The irony is that if the protesters pulled this in Gaza, there is no way they would see the light of day."
The unrest over the situation in Gaza is expected to cause major problems at the Democrats' convention, which starts Monday.
Organizers in the Windy City have been feuding with city leaders inside and outside of court, seeking more space to conduct large demonstrations on Monday and Thursday, the first and last nights of the DNC.
A federal judge handed four groups a defeat earlier this week, denying their request to move their protest route inside the convention's secured perimeter. They countered by holding a rally outside City Hall, blasting the city for denying permits that would have allowed them to bring their own audio amplification and portable toilets.
The DNC is gonna be lit!