Anti-Israel protesters yelling inflammatory chants stopped traffic and caused chaos as they descended upon John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday, creating a nightmare on one of the busiest travel days of the year, The New York Post reported.
The Belt Parkway — a major thoroughfare used by vehicles to travel to the airport — was temporarily blocked off by police near Exit 20 as they tried to stem the flow of the “Flood JFK For Gaza” protest.
“NYPD, KKK, IDF you’re all the same,” protesters inside an SUV screeched through a megaphone, according to video posted to X.
Other footage posted to social media showed more than a dozen cars waving Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and honking car horns on the gridlocked parkway shortly before the planned rally at 2:00 p.m.
A box truck displayed images of Israeli troops with Palestinian Arab children, claiming “Israel has waged a war on the children in Palestine.”
Around 100 cars left from Canarsie earlier in an effort to halt travel at JFK but were denied entry into Terminal 4, where photos showed an armored NYPD vehicle parked in a lane near the terminal’s exit, according to The New York Post.
Monday’s protest comes several days after 26 protesters were arrested during an anti-Israel demonstration that blocked a road to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
A day later, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters shut down the entrance to the World Trade Center in New York City.
Anti-Israel protests have been on the rise since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7.
In late November, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters halted traffic in New York City by descending at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier this month, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters marched through New York City, making stops at major transportation hubs and disrupting traffic along the way.