Hundreds of people participating in a “Queers for Palestine” protest blocked the Manhattan Bridge in New York City on Monday evening.
The pro-Palestinian protesters marched from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn across the bridge into Manhattan calling for a “Free Palestine.” Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have become more widespread since the terror group Hamas killed roughly 1,200 Israeli civilians and took hundreds more captive in a terror attack on October 7.
The protesters touted LGBT and trans pride flags while chanting slogans such as “queer, trans, no peace on stolen land” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a popular phrase among pro-Palestinian activists that effectively calls for genocide against Israelis. The protesters also compared Israel’s military and the New York Police Department to the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, chanting “NYPD, KKK, IDF, they’re all the same.”
The crowd was led by protesters carrying banners with messages such as “Queers for Liberated Palestine,” “No Pride in Genocide,” and “Queer Jews say: F*** the West. Let Gaza Live.”
Manhattan Bridge has been shut down by thousands of Queers for Palestine marching from Barclays Center to Manhattan. #nyc #QueersForPalestine #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/Va2ZwnMNV6
— thizzL (@thizzl_) December 12, 2023
Thousands of queer Palestinian supporters shutting down the streets in Manhattan #FreePalestine #QueersForPalestine pic.twitter.com/Ib1Pzx8iSo
— thizzL (@thizzl_) December 12, 2023
Many have noted the irony in the trend of groups such as “Queers for Palestine.” Homosexuality is punished in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, and large portions of Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, run by the Palestinian Authority.
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In 2019, the Palestinian Authority banned activities by LGBT activists. Last year, a gay man who escaped from the Gaza Strip said he was in constant fear of being caught by Hamas.
“It’s hard to be gay because I don’t feel free in Gaza,” he said.
“There are many people gay in the Gaza Strip, and they are in Hamas also. If you are gay, you should be hiding. It’s so hard. I was so scared. Scared from everything, you know? Scared of getting hit, of getting kidnapped. I was so afraid. I was afraid Hamas would find out I was gay,” he continued.
In 2016, Hamas executed a top member of its military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, after the commander was accused of homosexual acts. Mahmoud Ishtiwi, described by The New York Times as being “Hamas royalty,” was shot three times and executed by the terror group over allegations of stealing and engaging in homosexual acts.