ASTORIA, Queens (WABC) — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators spilled onto Steinway Street, and nearly swallowed up Astoria, Queens, as thousands marched on Wednesday night.
NewsCopter 7 captured the massive demonstration from high above, which looked more like a sea of fury.
The rally was one of the largest pro-Palestinian protests the city has seen so far.
At one point, demonstrators spilled out onto Steinway Street and began marching down Astoria.
They expressed frustration at the U.S. media, President Joe Biden and Governor Kathy Hochul, and they say they will be out on the streets until they get what they want.
“As people who live in the United States, we subsidize the murder of Palestinian children with our tax dollars,” organizer Nerdeem Kiswani said.
As for the $100 million in U.S. humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, organizers say it’s meaningless.
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“They want us to look away and wash the blood off of their hands by providing so-called humanitarian aid that we would not need if they didn’t pay for the bombs that were dropped on the people of Gaza in the first place,” Kiswani said.
“A kid in Chicago got stabbed 26 times,” pro-Palestinian protestor Semon Manik said. “That was a hate crime. This is not right at all.”
Other rallies took place throughout the city on both sides of the conflict.
The UJA-Federation of New York joined local politicians at Dag Hammarskjld Plaza near the United Nations Headquarters, demanding the safe release of those held captive by Hamas. Families of hostages were welcome to speak at that event.
Inside the U.N., the United States vetoed a resolution that would have condemned Hamas’ attacks against Israel and all violence against civilians and urged humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
CUNY students protesting Israel’s military response also denounced their university’s chancellor’s statement on the conflict, saying it only seemed to express sympathy for Israeli victims of the violence.
As the group shouted at a small counter rally, members of a Jewish student group called “Not in Our Name” accused Israel of acting counter to Jewish values.
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