New York Police Detain Multiple Protesters Calling for Halt to US Military Aid to ‘israel’

Approximately 90 individuals, among them whistleblower Chelsea Manning, were detained on Monday, according to the anti-war organization Jewish Voice for Peace. This group was one of the participants in the protest rally held in New York City.

The New York City Police Department reported that “multiple” arrests occurred but declined to disclose the precise number of individuals detained.

Video footage captured scenes of demonstrators assembling in proximity to the offices of US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. This comes as the US Senate makes renewed efforts to curtail the war powers of Trump, aiming to stop what is described as an unprovoked act of aggression against Iran.

Demonstrators vociferously expressed their opposition to the US-Israeli military actions on Iran, condemned Israel’s persistent lethal offensives in southern Lebanon, and criticized Israel’s aggression in the isolated Gaza Strip. Their chants echoed calls such as “stop the bombs,” “end the killings,” and “free Palestine.”

Protesters raised their voices with chants of “let Gaza live,” “let Iran live,” and “let Lebanon live” as part of their demonstration.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a significant military offensive against Iran. The operation resulted in the assassination of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, alongside several high-ranking military officials and numerous civilian casualties.

The United States’ expensive military engagement with Iran, which rapidly escalated into a wider regional conflict, has already expended tens of billions of dollars and sparked concerns regarding the depletion of U.S. weapons supplies. Significant portions of these stockpiles are also being transferred to Israel for potential use against Iran, as well as in confrontations involving Palestine and Lebanon.

Since the initiation of the claimed unlawful war against Iran, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has conducted more than 100 missile and drone strikes targeting significant U.S. and Israeli sites.

Retaliatory strikes conducted under Operation True Promise 4 have compelled the withdrawal of hundreds of American troops from the region, while inflicting damage amounting to billions of dollars on US assets in countries across the Persian Gulf.

Forty days into the conflict, a ceasefire facilitated by Pakistan has been implemented; however, negotiations between Washington and Tehran conducted in Islamabad have stalled. The diplomatic efforts failed to secure an agreement, largely due to what was perceived as the U.S. delegation’s excessive demands and fluctuating objectives.

The situation intensified as the United States announced the commencement of a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports located in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman on Monday. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has pledged to retaliate decisively against what it regards as a provocative action.

The Trump administration has implemented measures to suppress anti-war and anti-Israel demonstrations by targeting foreign students for deportation, threatening to cut university funding where such rallies occur, and mandating the screening of immigrants’ online activities. However, these efforts have encountered legal challenges in the judicial system.

In 2024, New York City emerged as a focal point for pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid Israel’s controversial military actions in Gaza. Accusations of genocide against the Palestinians were levied as the US-supported campaign reportedly resulted in over 75,000 casualties. The conflict also instigated a severe hunger crisis and forced the internal displacement of Gaza’s entire population.