On April 24, a large crowd of Zionists attacked pro-Palestine activists protesting war criminal Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister, who was speaking at the Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters in Crown Heights. Photos and videos circulated on social media show mobs of Zionist men physically attacking women protestors, even threatening them with sexual violence. One of the pro-Palestine protestors, a Jewish woman, was assaulted and hospitalized for a serious head injury that required multiple stitches. Another woman, a resident of the neighborhood, was surrounded and followed several blocks by at least 100 men, who threatened to rape her and shouted repeatedly “Death to Arabs.” Some of the Zionist men can be seen pushing and kicking her, and throwing objects like a trash can at her. She was eventually escorted by a single officer. Hundreds of NYPD officers stood by and did nothing to disperse the Zionist mob or arrest any of the men responsible.
What happened on April 24 was not an isolated incident. Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza, such Zionist mob attacks against the movement — especially women — have been commonplace and well-documented. All have happened with police complicity.
Pro-Israel politicians — with the help of corporate media — have deliberately ignored these attacks on protestors, while at the same time mobilizing false claims of anti Semitism to undermine pro-Palestine speech and enlisting the NYPD to try and crush the movement. It should surprise no one that for decades, the NYPD has traveled to Israel to train with the IDF in tactics of counterterrorism and sharing surveillance.
The attacks on the movement cannot stop the unprecedented sea change in consciousness around Palestine kickstarted by October 7, 2023. Over the last 18 months, millions of people across the world have continued to protest the genocide and occupation of Palestine week after week. Polls show that support for Israel has dropped to an all-time low in the U.S. In fact, Zionism has lost almost an entire generation, as poll after poll shows Gen Z and young millennials’ support for Palestine. The movement for Palestinian liberation is felt in nearly every section of society, from college campuses, to music festivals, to labor unions.
Even in the face of mounting repression by the Trump administration, including the targeting and detention of student activists like Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, the movement continues to grow stronger. Women remain at the forefront of this struggle and will not be deterred by Zionist attacks and repression.
Throughout his tour, Ben-Gvir was met by crowds of protestors. Because of this mass opposition, several of his planned visits were canceled and he was forced to cut his tour short. It is clear the Israeli narrative is crumbling — state-backed attacks on the movement cannot reverse this fact. Here in the United States and around the world, the need for people of conscience to keep up the fight has never been greater.
Feature image: A woman is followed and harassed by a Zionist mob as she is escorted by a single police officer. Credit: AP video screenshot.
