Outside the Young Israel Senior Services of Midwood, the chants carried down blocked-off streets.
Police lined the area as hundreds came out on both sides of the issue of land sales in the Middle East, which have been held in the city.
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Police lined the area as hundreds came out on both sides of the issue of land sales in the Middle East, which have been held in the city
Pro-Palestinian protesters say the event promotes land they call stolen from Palestinians, including properties in West Bank settlements
Counterprotesters say the demonstrations are unfairly targeting a largely Jewish neighborhood
Pro-Palestinian protesters say the event promotes land they call stolen from Palestinians, including properties in West Bank settlements.
“We’re here today to send a message to the city and to send a message to the organizers that these kinds of events cannot and will not stand in New York City,” Taher Dahleh, the organizer with the Palestinian Youth movement, said.
The event advertised homes in Israel with agents offering to guide buyers through the process.
Counterprotesters say the demonstrations are unfairly targeting a largely Jewish neighborhood.
“There’s a synagogue here. This is clearly a [predominantly] Jewish neighborhood, and they deserve the right to worship in peace,” counterprotester Kasondra Watkins said.
The protests come as the City Council weighs whether to override Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s veto of an education “buffer zone” bill.
A separate bill establishing “buffer zones” around houses of worship was not vetoed.
Some argue that the restrictions would go too far.
“I think these buffer zones are an infringement on our constitutionally protected speech,” Dahleh said.
And while protesters say demonstrations like this are protected speech, some neighbors say bringing this fight into the middle of Midwood is creating unnecessary fear and tension in the community.
“If they want to protest, there’s no problem with protesting. Let them protest in their own neighborhoods,” neighbor Sam S. said.