Brooklyn Museum Besieged by Anti-Israel Protesters in Dramatic Demonstration

Edited by: Fern Sidman

In a dramatic and unprecedented turn of events, a large group of anti-Israel protesters breached the Brooklyn Museum on Friday, establishing an encampment inside and scaling the building to unfurl a massive banner declaring the war in Gaza as “genocide” according to information provided in a New York Post report that appeared on Friday.  The protest, spearheaded by the vehemently anti-Israel group “Within Our Lifetime,” drew nearly 1,000 participants, highlighting the intense divisions surrounding the ongoing conflict.

Watch: Brooklyn Museum area on Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. A violent pro Hamas protest has escalated into mayhem with Jews being bullied, & intimidated, and cops assaulted. Outrageous & unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/DvXePGY33A

— Chaskel Bennett (@ChaskelBennett) May 31, 2024

The protest began with a vanguard of activists who climbed the museum’s exterior and rappelled down inside the building, according to police sources. This audacious act set the stage for hundreds more who surrounded the museum, located adjacent to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, the Post report said. Video footage posted on social media shows protesters hopping over metal fence barriers, chanting “Free free Palestine,” and waving Palestinian flags as they entered the museum grounds.

On the roof, a group of protesters draped a giant banner reading “Free Palestine  – Divest From Genocide” over the front of the building, making a bold visual statement that could be seen from the surrounding area, as per the information contained in The Post report. The banner and the occupation of the museum were intended to draw attention to the protesters’ demands for the institution to disclose and divest from what they describe as the “US-Israeli genocide.”

BREAKING: Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters have taken over the Brooklyn Museum. They reportedly broke through barricades and assaulted staff.pic.twitter.com/Dbmb3O6PbK

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 31, 2024

The protest at the Brooklyn Museum was meticulously organized by “Within Our Lifetime,” an anti-Israel group that had called on its supporters to “flood the Brooklyn Museum for Gaza.” The Post report indicated that an online flier for the protest stated, “Activists are de-occupying the museum until they disclose and divest from the US-Israeli genocide,” signaling their intent to maintain their presence until their demands were addressed.

The scale and intensity of the demonstration were significant, with approximately 800 people gathering outside the museum. The protestors’ actions were part of a broader movement that has seen numerous anti-Israel demonstrations across New York City in recent months. As was reported by The Post, this particular event followed closely on the heels of a city-wide walkout by hundreds of New York public school students, who demonstrated at the Department of Education headquarters in Lower Manhattan earlier in the day.

Police sources indicated that an unknown number of protesters were arrested during the museum occupation, though specifics were not immediately available, according to the Post report. The NYPD’s response to the situation included heightened security measures and efforts to manage the large and rancorous mob.

The Brooklyn Museum, a cultural institution known for its extensive art collections and educational programs, became an unexpected focal point for the protesters’ message. Noted in The Post report was that the institution has not yet issued a public response to the incident or the demands of the protesters.