Around 100 arrested during demonstration against Netanyahu outside UN
The demonstration, organised by several groups, was attended by approximately 300 people and was one of several protests planned in the city this week
Around 100 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested in Manhattan during demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the United Nations General Assembly.
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An estimated 300 people attended the protest on Thursday, with around 200 dispersing before police began making arrests.
The demonstration was organised by groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Democratic Socialists of America.
Protesters blocked traffic and could be heard chanting, "Stop arming Israel, let Gaza live" and "Stop arming Israel, let Iran live" before later being detained by the police.
Several politicians with strong ties to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani were among those arrested, including City Council members Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district, was also arrested.
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The demonstration was one of several protests planned in the city this week, with elected officials, candidates in the November election and a number of celebrities also attending.
Mamdani responded to the demonstrations by accusing Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians.”
Mamdani added: “Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” numerous times, and has previously urged the federal government ro order his arrest if he entered the city.
The Mayor had earlier addressed the planned demonstrations, saying: “To New Yorkers, I have never encouraged them to protest, what I have always told them is that they have the right to do so in this city,” he said.
“We respect that right and this is a city that is proud of the constitution and proud of the first amendment.”
During his address to the General Assembly, Netanyahu hit back at Mamdani over his description of him as a war criminal.
The Israeli prime minister also condemned Western European leaders for what he described as giving in to “antisemitic mobs" and claimed Qatar and Turkey had circulating misinformation about Israel.
Turning his attention to the New York mayor, Netanyahu said: “You tried to stop me from coming here. You tried. You tried to silence me. Well, you can't silence me. You can't silence the truth,”.
“Mr Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York," Netanyahu added.