Anti-Israel demonstrators and pro-Israel counter-protesters clashed Monday night outside the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn during an event connected to Israeli real estate.
Police maintained a large presence in the area as hundreds of protesters gathered on both sides of the issue. Footage circulating online showed confrontations between demonstrators, including physical altercations, while some protesters were seen waving a Hezbollah flag.
At one point, protesters held a Muslim prayer service, prostrating while chanting "Allahu Akbar" outside the Jewish house of worship
At least three people were detained during the protest. Police said those taken into custody had allegedly thrown items during the clashes. Videos showed confrontations between protesters, including one incident in which a masked individual pulled a Jewish girl’s hair.
The protest took place near an event advertising homes in Israel and communities in Judea and Samaria. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators accused organizers of promoting what they described as “stolen" Palestinian land.
NY1 quoted Taher Dahleh of the Palestinian Youth Movement as saying, “We’re here today to send a message to the city and to send a message to the organizers that these kinds of events cannot and will not stand in New York City."
Counter-protesters said the demonstration unfairly targeted a Jewish neighborhood. NY1 quoted counter-protester Kasondra Watkins as saying, “There’s a synagogue here. This is clearly a Jewish neighborhood, and they deserve the right to worship in peace."
Videos shared online showed NYPD officers separating the opposing sides as tensions escalated.
The demonstration came less than a week after another protest outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, which also drew large crowds and increased concern among Jewish organizations and city officials regarding security around houses of worship.