Manhattan and Brooklyn Call for a Free Palestine

On October 26 and October 28, 2023, two powerful marches swept through Brooklyn and Manhattan with the impassioned cries of protesters calling for a “Free Palestine”. These demonstrations were part of a larger wave of activism sparked by the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Across all five boroughs of New York City, residents have been gathering over the past weeks, calling for a ceasefire, an end to the war in Gaza, and the conclusion of Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

October 26, 2023

The October 26 protest, organized by Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and named “Flood Wall Street for Gaza,” unfolded in the Financial District of Manhattan. By 5PM, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the iconic streets of Wall Street and its surroundings. The air became filled with chants like “Free, free Palestine,” “From the river to the sea…Palestine will be Free,” and “Within our lifetime,” among many others.

As the organizers prepared for the march to City Hall, the protestors—a diverse mix of ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds— waved Palestinian flags, raised homemade signs, and played drums and other instruments to energize the gathering. Local news crews stood behind barricades, reporting on the event and interviewing participants. Volunteers moved through the crowd distributing stickers, pins, informational pamphlets, and flags. Protestors with megaphones shared personal stories, motivations, and hopes for peace. One particularly emotional moment featured a protester wearing a Keffiyeh and waving a Palestinian flag. At the same time, tears streamed down her face, supported by her friend's arms around her shoulders, as the "Globalize the Intifada" chants filled the air.

The march wound its way through the Financial District, a symbolic choice to highlight the economic and political ties to the conflict. Chants grew louder as the group approached City Hall, and some bystanders joined in for a few blocks, shouting their demands for justice and peace. Upon reaching City Hall, participants knelt on the road for a few minutes of silence to honor the innocent lives lost. Traffic was halted by police, who respected and maintained order during the minutes of silence. After the moving demonstration of silence concluded, the chants and drumming resumed revitalizing the crowd as they continued their demonstration.

October 28, 2023

The October 28th protest began in the mid-afternoon outside the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Also organized by WOL, this march was called “Flood Brooklyn for Gaza.” The streets outside of Prospect Park were lined with barricades, protesters, cop cars, and vendors selling Palestinian flags, keffiyehs, and pins.

As the crowd grew, the atmosphere became energized with chants condemning U.S support for Israel, such as “Israel bombs, USA pays, how many kids did you kill today?” and “Not another nickel! Not another dime! No more money for Israel’s crimes!”  Around 30 minutes after the gathering began, the march set off, starting from the Brooklyn Museum and making its way through Downtown Brooklyn, passing Barclays Center, across the Brooklyn Bridge, and into Manhattan’s Financial District, Chinatown, and ending at Union Square. The pre-planned route spanned approximately six miles, with thousands of participants— some marching the entire distance, while others joined along the way.

Throughout the march from Prospect Park to Downtown Brooklyn, megaphones were passed through the crowd to energize participants and let their voices be heard. The march effectively shut down the streets, with supporters from their cars halted in the traffic honking their horns in support, joining in on chants, and accepting stickers, pins, and pamphlets offered by protestors. Onlookers, including mothers and children peering from apartment windows waved and cheered. One truck driver stepped onto the hood of his vehicle, raising a pamphlet for Palestinian liberation to the crowd’s cheers. In a striking moment of solidarity, a large sheet reading “Jews for Palestinian Freedom” was waved from a window along the route.

The march approached the Brooklyn Bridge and the energy or the participants began to soar. The beat of drums and maracas filled the streets, and children perched on their parents’ shoulders held up cardboard signs. At dusk, protestors shut down all lanes of traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. On the pedestrian walkway, Palestinian flags were unfurled from above, waving above the crowds of marchers. Protestors scaled scaffolding to wave flags and form heart symbols with their hands, expressing gratitude to the crowd below. The marchers pushed on as the sun set, their chants and beats never losing its energy as they reverberated through the streets of Lower Manhattan, coming to conclusion in Union Square.

Both demonstrations were peaceful and deeply emotional. Despite a heavy police presence, there was almost no civil disobedience, and the marches remained orderly and productive. The vibrant music, heartfelt chants, and passionate energy carried the message of Justice and freedom from Brooklyn to Manhattan, leaving a mark on those who participated and those who observed.