Around 100 protesters gathered in Washington Square Park in Manhattan during the Fourth of July holiday where they protested Israel’s military offenses in Palestine that have prompted global condemnation.
The protestors lit American flags on fire and chanted anti-US slogans in reaction to the unwavering US support for Israel. Footage showed protestors wearing keffiyehs also known as a hatta- a traditional Arab headdress which has become a symbol of Palestinian support - trying to set fire to a tattered American flag on the ground, Fox News reported.
The group of protestors, a majority of which were reportedly younger Americans, could be heard chanting, “f*** Israel” and “f*** the USA”. They also chanted, “Israel bombs, USA pays, how many kids did you kill today?”
A poster with images of US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump wearing crowns was labeled with the slogan “death to all kings” was also sighted, according to a separate report from the New York Post.
The poster was most likely in reference to the US Supreme Court’s controversial decision earlier this week to grant US presidents “absolute immunity” from prosecution for official acts they made during their presidency.
It was reported that at least 37 people were arrested during the demonstration which was organized by the group Within Our Lifetime - though a majority of those appeared to be court summonses.
Six pro-Palestinian protesters in the US city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were also arrested after burning flags and clashing with police. The protest, which first began in Rittenhouse Square, eventually grew to about 400 people.
A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that over nine years leading up to 2022, the US has supplied 68% of Israel’s weapons.
In April, Congress approved a further $26 billion in aid to Israel including $5 billion for their air defenses as well as a hoard of weapons shipments. That is in addition to a 10-year agreement signed in 2016 between the two countries which allows exports of military aid worth $3.3 billion as well as $500 million a year for air defenses.
More than 500 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed since the war in Gaza first began, while the death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 38,011 with 87, 445 people injured, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
And in addition to the ongoing violence as a result of Israeli military forces, one in five of Gaza’s population - that's nearly 500,000 people - are facing “catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity” The Guardian reported late last month, citing a draft report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).