More than 1,000 protesters against Israel head towards Met Gala

Anti-Israel protesters caused chaos in Central Park on Monday, vandalizing a World War I memorial and burning an American flag. The mob of over 1,000 demonstrators was blocked by police from reaching the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the Met Gala was taking place.

The protesters defaced the 107th Infantry Memorial with graffiti reading “Gaza” and plastered the bronze soldiers with stickers of the Palestinian flag. Some even climbed atop the statue and waved Palestinian flags.

The anarchy unfolded near Fifth Avenue and East 67th Street, with no cops in sight as the police presence was focused on the Met Gala. Another monument, the Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman statue, was also vandalized with graffiti and a Palestinian flag.

Earlier in the evening, about two dozen protesters were arrested near Madison Avenue as they marched towards the Met Gala. The group, part of a “Day of Rage” protest organized by the group Within Our Lifetime, chanted slogans and waved Palestinian flags.

Despite their efforts, the protesters were unable to reach the museum as police diverted them into Central Park and blocked their exits. The group tried multiple times to reach the Met but were met with police barricades and arrests.

The protests also sparked counter-demonstrations, with pro-Israel supporters facing off with the anti-Israel protesters. The Israeli ambassador to the UN condemned the protests, likening them to “modern-day Nazis” and calling for action against antisemitism.

The clashes in Central Park and the surrounding areas highlighted the ongoing tensions and divisions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, with both sides passionately advocating for their beliefs.