As the annual Met Gala took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Central Park, hundreds of protesters gathered to voice their opposition to Israel. The event was disrupted as the protesters clashed with New York City police who were trying to stop them from reaching the museum.
Despite being close to the venue, a large police presence ensured that the fashion event was not disrupted. However, tensions escalated as the protesters engaged in altercations with the police at various locations near the Met Gala. Several arrests were made as a result of these clashes.
According to a report from the New York Post, some of the protesters vandalized a bronze statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman in Grand Army Plaza by painting “Free Gaza” graffiti on its base and attaching a Palestinian flag to it. About two dozen protesters were also arrested near Madison Avenue and East 83rd Street while they marched from Hunter College towards the Met.
Videos shared on social media captured the protests, with NYPD officers urging protesters to limit their demonstrations to the sidewalk so as not to disrupt vehicular traffic. The protesters identified themselves as part of a “Day of Rage” protest organized by Within Our Lifetime, a Palestinian activist group. They chanted slogans such as “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest” while clashing with police in Central Park.
