People demonstrate calling for a cease-fire amid war between Israel and Hamas, at Grand Central Station in New York City on Oct. 27, 2023. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
Grand Central Terminal was temporarily closed due to a sit-in organized by hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters during the Friday evening rush.
Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the rally urged for an end to the Israel-Hamas war through the use of civil disobedience. JVP describes itself as “organizing toward Palestinian liberation and Judaism beyond Zionism.”
The demonstration occurred shortly after Israel Defense Forces revealed their intention to escalate their ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
“Thousands are sitting in at Grand Central Station demanding a #CeasefireNOW,” says a post by JVP on X.
Images on social media show the station’s concourse filled with demonstrators wearing black shirts with “Jews say cease fire now” while chanting, “No more weapons. No more war. Ceasefire is what we’re calling for.”
People demonstrate calling for a cease-fire amid war between Israel and Hamas, at Grand Central Station in New York City on Oct. 27, 2023. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) was forced to shut down the terminal in response to the sit-in.
“Grand Central Terminal is closed due to a demonstration in the area,” the MTA said in a post on X.
“Customers should travel to Harlem-125th St for Metro-North service to points north.”
The demonstration eventually led to arrests by the police of an unknown number of people.
NYPD officers arrest protesters during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire amid war between Israel and Hamas, at Grand Central Station in New York City, on Oct. 27, 2023. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
Footage circulating on social media shows the New York Police Department (NYPD) taking away lines of demonstrators.
After the clearing, the Grand Central Terminal reopened for ticketed customers only.
“Customers can enter and exit using the entrance at 105 E 42nd Street for the rest of the evening,” the MTA said in a post.
On Oct. 18, JVP staged a protest in the Capitol building in Washington on Oct. 18, resulting in several arrests.
Capitol Police officers detain protesters as they hold a demonstration in support of a cease-fire against the Palestinians in Gaza in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington on Oct. 18, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images
The protests come after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 people, mainly civilians in Israel, on Oct. 7, leading to Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas-run health ministry has said that Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 7,000 people in Gaza, but The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the numbers the ministry releases.
