By: Ilana Siyance

The New York City public library’s flagship building in Midtown Manhattan was severely defaced by pro-Palestinian rioters.

As reported by the NY Post, the Stephen A. Schwarzman library will require roughly $75,000 in cleanup costs, with officials saying even some of its carved marble reliefs may need to be replaced.  Demonstrators reportedly damaged the landmark building’s famed outdoor façade on Fifth Avenue, with graffiti on the building’s iconic columns, multiple blood-red handprints and thick red paint spills and a scrawling of “free Palestine” in dark green spray paint.

“On Thanksgiving, individuals involved in a protest engaged in a shameful act of vandalism to the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman building, a space devoted to the open exchange of ideas and intellectual debate,” library spokeswoman Jennifer Fermino told the Washington Post.  “This comes at a time when the city’s libraries are facing steep budget cuts that have left us unable to maintain our current levels of service, and this vandalism will be costly to repair.”

The library building, which was the target of vandalism, is named for Stephen A. Schwarzman, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist who donated $100 million in 2008 toward the library’s expansion.  Schwartzman, who is Jewish, is chairman and chief executive officer of private equity firm Blackstone.  Fermino told The Post that the library was a target of vandals several times in recent weeks during three different pro-Palestinian protests, noting that “the most costly and extensive” damage was incurred on Thursday.  “It is too early to say the costs of fixing the damages but the repair costs for all could be between 60k and 75k,” Fermino noted.

The bulk of the damage occurred on Thursday after hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  They wore white jumpsuits and drenching themselves in fake blood, with some gluing their hands to the street in the middle of Sixth Avenue, to disrupt traffic.  Per the Gothamist, some of the graffiti covered delicately carved portions of the marble structures, which when cleaning will cause further damage, requiring multiple applications of solvent over several days, said Garrett Bergen, director of facilities for the library.  “We could have to replace certain elements if a rosette is too damaged for the paint to be removed. So it’s a little unclear,” Bergen said.  Library display boards were also vandalized with green and red paint—which are the colors of the Palestinian flag.

On Nov. 17, hundreds of demonstrators had rallied outside the library demanding that Israel end its military campaign against Hamas, which began in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise killing spree which took the lives of 1,200 Israelis and during which over 240 men, women and children were taken hostage.

Per the Post, at Thursday’s Midtown protests over 34 protesters were arrested, being charged with multiple offenses, including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and harassment, police sources said.  The library had been closed for Thanksgiving at the time of the protests, and it is not known how many of the arrests took place outside the library.

The demonstrators had brought the much anticipated 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to a halt, by marching down 6th Avenue shouting anti-Israel slogans and holding a big sign that read, “Liberation for Palestine and Planet”.  “Free Palestine! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” one of the protesters yelled, using the anti-Semitic phrase calling for the eradication of Israel.