Pro-Palestinian activists broke into the Brooklyn Museum in New York and scuffled with police on Friday, protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza, which is nearing its ninth month.
People banged on glass doors and jumped security fences as they rushed inside the building and occupied much of the lobby, where they unfurled large banners and chanted slogans.
A banner placed atop the facade read, “Free Palestine, divest from genocide.” One person held a sign that said, “Save the children of Rafah,” referring to the southern Gazan city currently besieged by the Israeli Army.
A group of activists scuffled with police outside the museum. The officers eventually entered the lobby and made arrests.
“There was damage to existing and newly installed artwork on our plaza,” the museum said in an email to Reuters, adding that “public safety staff were physically and verbally harassed.”
According to Reuters, at least one sculpture outside the museum was vandalized with graffiti.
The US has seen a wave of pro-Palestinian protests since fighting between the militant group Hamas and Israel broke out on October 7. Activists have heckled politicians at public events and set up encampments at college campuses across the country. In many cases, police have been forced to dismantle the camps and forcibly remove protesters who refuse to leave.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that Israel has offered a new ceasefire deal which incorporates the release of the remaining hostages captured by Hamas during its deadly October 7 raid into Israeli territory that triggered the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel’s ultimate goal is to eliminate the threat of Hamas in Gaza, where more than 36,000 people have been killed over the past eight months.