21 Aug, 2014 02:12

Giant Palestinian flag unfurled over NYC bridge during protest

Hundreds of protesters flooded the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Wednesday, carrying signs and chanting in support of Palestinians as violence continues to rage in Gaza.

As demonstrators marched across the bridge, activists also dropped a huge Palestinian flag from the nearby Manhattan Bridge that read, “Boycott Divestment Sanctions.”

Although it is unknown exactly how many people participated in the event, photographs from the vent on social media clearly indicate that at least several hundred were present. During the last pro-Gaza rally in New York City, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people took part.

The latest demonstration comes as talks between Israelis and Palestinians fell apart yet again on Tuesday, renewing hostilities between the two parties. As RT reported then, 500 rockets were fired at Israel by Hamas, while Israel launched at least 35 airstrikes against various targets in the Gaza Strip.

Both sides have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire that was previously in place.

BREAKING PHOTO: Gaza activists drop Palestinian flag from Manhattan Bridge pic.twitter.com/jJZrNcV0Pq
— John Galt (@JohnGGalt) August 20, 2014

The New York City event was organized under the label, “March for Palestine,” and sought $1,000 in funding earlier this month through the Indiegogo website. Organizers criticized what they claimed was “Israel’s ethnic cleansing project,” and said the march would demand “freedom from occupation, freedom from colonization, freedom to return to, inhabit, and live in a territory which we or our parents and grandparents called home … without the destruction of the common resources that nurture and sustain life.”

At the protest, Mashable’s Colin Daileda tweeted that people repeated numerous chants, including, "No more money for Israel's crimes, not another nickel, not another dime."

"Israel bombs. We protest. Boycott, sanction and divest,” was another slogan that made the rounds, according to civil rights activist Linda Sarsour.

Brooklyn Bridge covered in a sea of Palestinian flags. Powerful. #NYC2GAZA pic.twitter.com/ot7k6PO9vF
— Nastaran (@NasMohit) August 20, 2014

Demonstrators also connected their gathering to the ongoing events in Ferguson, Missouri, where protests have become a nightly occurrence in the wake of an 18-year-old’s death at the hands of police. Michael Brown was shot up to six times, according to an autopsy report, sparking backlash against police brutality and excessive force.

At the Gaza rally in New York, one speaker said, “There’s a reason people are making the connection between Gaza and Ferguson,” as quoted by Daileda, before adding that both situations are rooted in racism.

Meanwhile, others chanted, “Resistance is justified from Ferguson to Palestine,” as well as, "We are young, we are strong, we are marching all night long."

With @jvpliveNYC at #NYC2GAZA. Starting to march -- Brooklyn Bridge to One Police Plaza pic.twitter.com/dRfFuP9J3s
— Max Newman-Plotnick (@maxwellnp) August 20, 2014