New York Protesters Arrested During Netanyahu UN Speech Amid Spat with Mayor

Dozens of New York Democratic politicians, including incoming Representative Darializa Avila Chevalier, were arrested Thursday during an anti-Israel protest near the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The protest coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly. Avila Chevalier stated she refused to allow a war criminal to roam the streets and accused Netanyahu of overseeing the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza. Over 100 protesters were arrested at the sit-in, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, which included actors Susan Sarandon, Elliot Page, Hannah Einbinder, and Cynthia Nixon.

During his UN speech, Netanyahu compared Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel to "16 times 9/11," stating the 1,200 Israeli casualties were proportionately equal to 40,000 Americans slaughtered in less than 24 hours. Many delegates staged a mass walkout at the beginning of his speech. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Netanyahu of repeating baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians and noted an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes.

Netanyahu, in turn, labeled Mamdani an antisemite and said he was buddies with left-leaning influencer Hasan Piker, quoting Piker's 2019 statement, "America deserved 9/11." Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Jewish Democrat, defended Mamdani, calling Netanyahu's remarks a ploy by someone fighting for his political life. City Council Speaker Julie Menin, also a Jewish Democrat, called Netanyahu's remarks not helpful at all and said they can really incite violence.

Separately, a suspect was arrested for allegedly chasing a Jewish man with a knife while shouting "Heil Hitler" in Crown Heights on Wednesday. Fort Tryon Jewish Center in Upper Manhattan was vandalized on Yom Kippur with chalk graffiti.