Anti-Israel Protest in Brooklyn’s Boro Park Sparks Clashes and Community Outcry

A recent anti-Israel protest in the heart of Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community escalated into confrontations, drawing widespread condemnation from local leaders and residents.

On Tuesday evening, approximately 200 protesters, organized by the activist group Pal-Awda, gathered in Boro Park to voice opposition to an Israeli real estate event they claimed was promoting the sale of land in the West Bank. The demonstrators, many with faces covered by masks or keffiyehs, chanted slogans such as “Zionists go to hell” and “Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone.” Some participants displayed Palestinian flags and used inverted triangle hand gestures associated with Hamas.

In response, local residents and pro-Israel supporters assembled across the street, separated by police barricades and a significant law enforcement presence. Tensions escalated as members from both sides exchanged heated remarks. At one point, a woman directed derogatory comments toward young girls observing from a crosswalk, stating, “You’re so gross. You’re disgusting.” Children returning home from nearby yeshivas watched the unfolding events from their bus windows.

The protest’s timing, shortly after sundown in below-freezing temperatures, did not deter participants. Organizers had promoted the event on social media, urging supporters to “Flood Boro Park to stop the sale of stolen Palestinian land.” The term “flood” references the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” the name Hamas used for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Local leaders denounced the protest. Bronx Representative Ritchie Torres criticized the demonstration, stating, “It should come as a shock to no one that the pro-Hamas mob targeting Jews and promising to ‘flood’ Boro Park has descended into violence.” He further emphasized that such violence is inherent to the “so-called ‘Free Palestine’ movement.”

The incident is part of a troubling pattern of anti-Israel and antisemitic activities in New York City. In recent months, there have been multiple protests and acts of vandalism targeting Jewish institutions and neighborhoods. For instance, in January 2025, an Israeli-owned restaurant in Brooklyn was defaced with graffiti reading “Genocide cuisine” and “Israel steals culture.” The owner chose to leave the graffiti visible to raise awareness about such hate crimes.