Pro-Palestinian protesters chain themselves to the door of the New York Stock Exchange

LOWER MANHATTAN (PIX11) — A group of pro-Palestinian protesters who chained themselves to the front door of the New York Stock Exchange were among hundreds arrested during a massive demonstration in Lower Manhattan on Monday, police said.

About 206 people were taken into custody during the protest at 11 Wall St., which began at 9:30 a.m. in Lower Manhattan, according to the NYPD. The charges were not immediately available.

Approximately 500 people showed up at the event before the crowd dispersed about three hours later, police said.

The protesters lined the streets in the Financial District to protest Israel’s bombing of Gaza. They hung banners reading, “Jews for Palestinian Freedom,” “Jews Say Divest from Israel,” and “Fund FEMA Not Genocide.”

“The reason we’re here is to demand that the U.S. government stop sending bombs to Israel and stop profiting off of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace, the group that organized the demonstration. “Because what’s been happening for the last year is that Israel is using U.S. bombs to massacre communities in Gaza while simultaneously weapons manufacturers on Wall Street are seeing their stock prices skyrocket.”

The group chanted, “Let Gaza live!” and ”Up up with liberation, down down with occupation!” in front of the landmark building. None of the protesters got inside the exchange, but at least 200 made it inside a security fence on Broad Street.

The gathering was peaceful until about six people chained themselves to the front door of the New York Stock Exchange, police said. Several NYPD officers removed those protesters before several other demonstrators were seen boarding an NYC Correction bus near the famed building, Citizen App video shows.

The protest happened a week after the world marked one year since Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the start of Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza, which has since spread to Lebanon and beyond.

More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began. At least 1,200 people were killed, and Hamas took 250 people hostage in its attack on Israel.

This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press .

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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