Pro-Palestine protestors staged an occupation at the head office of the New York Times today in Manhattan, in what activists have called a demonstration “against the media giant’s complicity in Israel’s genocide”.
Over 100 demonstrators were seen storming the office, brandishing banners with slogans like “The New York War Crimes” and “Stop The Presses – Free Palestine”.
The protestors gathered in the ground-floor lobby of the building, as NYT employees gathered for their annual “State of the Times” corporate meeting.
Chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “free, free, Palestine” could be heard, led by protestors with megaphones.
Demonstrators held banners carrying slogans like "The New York War Crimes" in the protest
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Dozens of NYPD officers were called to the scene and have made arrests at the offices, taking some protestors into custody.
At the same time, activists throughout the city distributed copies of a parody paper, named “The New York (War) Crimes” – like the protest banner – which they called an “alternative broadsheet” printing “the truths of Palestine”.
The protest follows another demonstration in the early hours of today in which “Palestine solidarity activists” blocked a shipment of this morning’s edition of the paper from its printing plant in Queens, which also produces the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and other papers.
Police said no arrests had been made after they tipped rubble onto roads, blocked vehicles, and displayed banners with the messages “stop the presses – free Palestine” and “consent for genocide is manufactured here” outside the plant.
MORE ON PALESTINE PROTESTS:
“Palestine solidarity activists” blocked a shipment of this morning’s edition of the NYT from its printing plant
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NYPD officers told protestors at the scene: “If you choose to leave now, you may do so freely. If you refuse to leave, you’ll be subject to arrest for trespassing.”
The New York Times has not yet reported on either protest, but released an official statement about the printing press blockade, which said: "The Israel-Hamas war is a complex and challenging story, and we receive criticism from each side.
“We are open to good-faith disagreement but firmly reject any assertion that our coverage displays bias.
“We support the rights for groups and individuals to express their point of view, even when we disagree with it as it relates to our coverage, but will not let critics or advocacy campaigns sway us from independent reporting.”
The paper said readers should only expect “minimal disruption” from the protest earlier.
Yesterday, over 100 businesses in New York City closed for the day as part of a pro-Palestine “international day of action”.
The demonstrations today follow similar protests in January, in which activists blocked bridges and tunnels in the city, including the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, to demand a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war – resulting in hundreds of arrests.
While elsewhere, pro-Palestine protestors in London gathered en masse over the weekend in more demonstrations in support of a ceasefire.