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Greater than two dozen folks have been arrested close to Occasions Sq. on Thursday, together with a 23-year-old accused of an anti-Semitic hate crime, as road fights erupted between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrators.
The dueling rallies drew tons of of individuals to the streets of Midtown simply hours after Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire within the bruising battle that is killed roughly 243 folks in Gaza and 12 in Israel.
In Manhattan on Thursday, the confrontation between the 2 sides turned violent at instances. In a single incident that was caught on video, a gaggle of males punched, kicked, and pepper sprayed a 29-year-old whereas making anti-Semitic statements, police mentioned.
Waseem Awawdeh, a 23-year-old Brooklyn resident, was arrested and charged with hate crime assault, gang assault, menacing and felony possession of a weapon for his his alleged function within the beating.
In another video, a supporter from the pro-Israel group appeared to grab a Palestinian flag. He was rapidly confronted by one other demonstrator, who was then arrested by police.
A 3rd video shared to Twitter exhibits an apparent explosion within the Diamond District, which despatched a number of pedestrians scrambling for security. An NYPD spokesperson mentioned that an unknown particular person had thrown a firework from a car, inflicting minor burns to a 55-year-old girl. Police recovered firework shells and brass knuckles from the scene.
In an announcement, Governor Andrew Cuomo mentioned he was directing the state’s Hate Crimes Job Power to research the incidents.
“I unequivocally condemn these brutal assaults on visibly Jewish New Yorkers and we won’t tolerate anti-Semitic violent gang harassment and intimidation,” Cuomo mentioned.
The highest costs protesters confronted included resisting arrest, illegal meeting, and felony possession of a weapon, police mentioned.
Photographs present the burnt flags of each Israel and Palestine discarded on the road.
It was not instantly clear who organized the demonstrations. Heshy Tischler, a right-wing Orthodox Jewish radio host who just lately pled responsible to inciting a mob in opposition to a journalist, was in attendance.
Although the Egyptian-brokered stop fireplace gave the impression to be holding on Friday, tensions continued to mount in East Jerusalem, after Israeli police reportedly stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired tear fuel at worshippers.
The battle has repeatedly spilled onto the streets of New York Metropolis in latest weeks. One protest in Midtown final week marked the biggest pro-Palestine rally in latest historical past, in accordance with longtime activists.
This text has been up to date to incorporate additional details about the arrests.
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