Footage of the demonstration shows protesters standing or sitting in the street with their arms linked together, chanting “Cease-fire now” and “Let Gaza live.” Authorities arrested the protesters without incident and led them onto MTA buses for transport. The organizers of the protest, which was dubbed “Seder in the Streets,” released a statement saying that “Thousands of US Jews with (Jewish Voice for Peace), (IfNotNow), and (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) are holding an emergency Passover seder, shutting down the streets of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s home to demand he stop sending weapons to the Israeli government as it carries out a genocide.”
The protest also involved the projection of pro-Palestinian messages onto the Brooklyn Public Library, including “Stop Funding Genocide” and “No One Is Free Until Everyone Is Free.”
The US Senate recently passed a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, as well as in defense of Taiwan. The measure now awaits President Biden’s signature. Senator Schumer tweeted that the package is “one of the most consequential measures Congress has passed in years to protect America’s security and the future of Democracy.”
