Protesters Shut Down New York's Grand Central Station

 

Image Source: Al-Jazeera

Dozens of protesters were seen being arrested by police as authorities announced the temporary closure of the station.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the main concourse of New York's Grand Central Station, one of the city's major transportation hubs, calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Demonstrators wore black T-shirts that read 'Cease Fire Now' and 'Not in our name', holding banners calling for Palestinian freedom and an end to the bombing of Gaza.

"No more weapons. No more war. A ceasefire is what we are fighting for," they chanted, punching the air.

Banners hung from the sweeping steps of the concourse and across the departure board.

"Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living," read one.

Police arrested dozens of protesters as they marched out of the station and onto 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the temporary closure of the station and asked commuters to find alternate routes. Reached the street.

The group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which organized the demonstration, posted photos and videos showing police in a station with dozens of protesters with their arms tied behind their waists.

The JVP said thousands of people took part in what it described as an "emergency sit-in".

"Hundreds of Jews and allies are being arrested in what is possibly NYC's largest civil disobedience in two decades," the group wrote in a post on Instagram.

The rally in New York came as Israel said its military was stepping up air and ground attacks on the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Hamas, the Palestinian armed group that rules Gaza, has said its fighters are ready to fight Israeli attacks with "full force".

(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera)