Dozens of anti-Israel protesters, including flag snatcher, arrested at July 4th rally in NYC
More than three dozen anti-Israel protesters were busted in Manhattan Thursday night during a rally in which a hateful group burned an American flag and a man snatched someone’s Israeli flag, police said.
Cops say they cuffed 37 people at the “Flood July 4th for Gaza” demonstration — organized by radical anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime — which began at Washington Square Park and gradually made its way to Hudson Yards, just in time for the iconic Macy’s fireworks display.
Othman Belhamdounia, 36, was nabbed just after 7 p.m. for allegedly snatching someone’s Israeli flag at the corner of Washington Square East and Washington Place, police said.
The circumstances leading up to the theft were unclear Friday afternoon.
He was slapped with petit larceny and grand larceny charges, cops said.
Then around 8:30 p.m., Nicholas Cross, 33, was arrested at Eighth Avenue and West 19th Street for allegedly attempting to grab a flag that a 17-year-old boy was holding in his hand, authorities said.
The teen held onto the flag and Cross couldn’t snatch it away, cops said.
He was charged with attempted grand larceny, authorities said.
Seven other people were arrested on charges including obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Twenty-eight people were slapped with summonses, cops said.
At the same rally, footage captures a group burning an American flag inside Washington Square Park as keffiyeh-wearing photographers brought their lenses in close to capture the desecration.
The flag was smoldering next to a poster depicting Trump and Biden wearing crowns beneath “DEATH TO ALL KINGS” in big block letters.
The poster was evidently a reference to the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this week granting US presidents “absolute immunity” from prosecution from “official acts” during their time in office.
The NYPD did not have a record of an arrest in connection to the flag burning.
Also in the Greenwich Village park, the crowd chanted, “Over 40,000 dead, Democrats your hands are red,” and “Israel we know you, you imprison children too,” according to videos posted on the Within Our Lifetime X account.
The protesters made their final stop at West 28th Street and 11th Avenue.
“We raise the flag of the revolution as we rise up and flood New York for Gaza,” the organizers posted on X, alongside a video of a horde of protesters gathered – with a Palestinian flag and a sign bearing the words, “Stop Cop City Free Palestine” prominently displayed as fireworks light up the sky in the background.
“Resisting ongoing repression from the NYPD today in order to disrupt the 4th of July, we are making clear that these are our streets,” the caption continued.
“While you’re watching, bombs are dropping!” the protesters yelled, as well as “Israel bombs, USA pays! How many kids did you kill today?”
