Hundreds of people assembled in Manhattan on Monday afternoon to march uptown to the Met Gala in protest of Israel ’s ongoing war on Gaza . Police made multiple arrests as the rally splintered into smaller groups, with protesters moving through Central Park and down heavily-police-barricaded streets adjacent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, skirting close to the main event but failing to disrupt the Gala directly.
Protesters assembled at Hunter College for what Within our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian group, had characterized as a “Citywide Day of Rage For Gaza,” masked up, carrying drums, and toting picket signs, including one that read “No Met Gala While Bombs Drop in Gaza.”
As the largest group of protesters made its way up Fifth Avenue, drawing near to the museum’s red carpet, they circumvented and broke through police barricades. Later, pink and green smoke bombs were set off by protesters on Park Avenue, as well as at least one flare; drawing cheers from Upper East Siders filming on the sidelines.