Violence erupted in Brooklyn after anti-Israel protesters targeted an orthodox Jewish neighbourhood in New York last night.
The Pal-Awda activist group gathered in Borough Park, Brooklyn on Tuesday where tensions between demonstrators and local residents escalated after inflammatory chanting at the area’s Jewish residents.
The protest, which focused on opposition to an event promoting real estate in Israel, was attended by both anti-Israel protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters.
The groups were separated by police barricades, with anti-Israel demonstrators positioned closer to the local residents, who observed from the opposite pavement.
The protesters chanted slogans such as, "Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone," and “Zionists go to hell.” Some also directed hostile remarks at Jewish pedestrians and counter-protesters.
According to reports, the protest leaders also called for an "intifada revolution" through a megaphone.
Pro-Israel counter-protesters, including members of the group Betar US, were present at the rally.
Betar US had warned of potential unrest before the protest, urging its followers to “fight back” against anti-Israel activists in the neighbourhood, which has a significant Charedi population.
The situation later turned violent, with physical altercations breaking out between the opposing groups.
Social media footage showed people fighting in the street as police attempted to separate the brawlers.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that one individual, identified as 42-year-old Anthony Frausto, was arrested and charged with third-degree assault after allegedly punching a 61-year-old man in the face.
Emergency services treated the victim on-site for minor injuries.
The pro-Palestinian protest’s organiser, Pal-Awda, called on its followers to “flood Borough Park,” an allusion to Hamas’ name for its October 7 massacre on Israel, and to “show up in the masses to oppose the sale of stolen land, especially when it is happening in our own backyards!”
Betar US, a right-wing pro-Israel group feared “We cannot guarantee the safety of those who threaten Jewish synagogues,” as they posted on social media following the event.
