In a shocking incident that has triggered widespread outrage online, a pro-Palestinian mob can be seen cheering on a protester who climbed a flagpole and tore down U.S. flags as demonstrators marched through central Manhattan over Veterans Day weekend.
One viral clip depicts NYPD officers looking on as pro-Palestinian activists scaled city streetlights to desecrate the flag:
Meanwhile, police and protesters clashed on East 43rd Street in Manhattan:
The demonstrations began Friday night in Columbus Circle and made their way to Grand Central Terminal, where protestors kicked in the doors as law enforcement sheltered inside:
The demonstrators briefly forced the closure of the transportation hub as they marched through the streets of Manhattan for the second night in a row.
In response, many took to social media to voice concern and outrage.
\u201cHamasurrection takes NYC this weekend,\u201d wrote conservative political commentator Benny Johnson:
\u201cThese people are enemies of the US as much as they are enemies of Israel,\u201d journalist Emily Schrader wrote. \u201cStand with justice, stand with liberal democracy, stand with Israel.\u201d
\u201cThese people hate America,\u201d conservative podcaster Graham Allen asserted. \u201cThey are RIPPING DOWN OUR FLAG and replacing it with the Palestinian flag ON AMERICAN SOIL.\u201d
\u201cWho do these people think they are?!?!?\u201d he added.
\u201cThese protests aren\u2019t \u2018peaceful\u2019; they\u2019re violent, anti-American, and anti-Israel,\u201d Iranian American human rights advocate Sarah Raviani wrote.
\u201cTearing down American flags on Veterans Day and replacing them with an enemies flag,\u201d wrote one X user. \u201cTry that in a small town\u201d:
On Thursday night, pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of the New York Times while vandalizing police vehicles outside with \u201cFree Gaza\u201d slogans:
Last week, pro-Palestinian activists desecrated numerous monuments in Washington DC, including a Benjamin Franklin statue and an Andrew Jackson memorial:
Protesters were also spotted donning Hamas-style headbands at a demonstration in London:
The matter comes as pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue to promote antisemitic and anti-American sentiment.
Last month, former President Donald Trump accused American universities who hosted radical pro-Palestinian activities of \u201callowing or enabling the open hatred against Israel and America!\u201d
Podcaster Natalie Winters described walking through the National March to Free Palestine in DC, stating, \u201cI truly don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m in America anymore. It\u2019s not just blatant antisemitism it\u2019s straight up anti-Americanism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n