Massive Gathering of Pro-Palestinian Protesters Descend on Met Gala

A massive group of Pro-Palestinian protesters who flooded the streets near the annual Met Gala fashion fundraiser were swiftly confronted by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Context

The high-profile fashion event, held Monday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, has been hosted annually by Vogue since 1948. The star-studded soiree raises money for the Met's iconic Costume Institute. This year, as celebrities ascended the iconic steps, protesters rallied nearby, demanding an end to the months-long Israel-Hamas war in besieged Gaza.

The protest comes amid news of Hamas agreeing to terms on a ceasefire, with Israel holding out—saying the deal falls short and requires more negotiating—before continuing with a planned offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it faces mounting condemnation across the globe over the staggering Palestinian death toll.

Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that it had begun "conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip."

The Manhattan demonstrators carried banners in support of Rafah, with a pro-Palestinian advocacy group that organized the protest stating on social media that people were "FLOODING the streets of New York City in defense of Rafah and all of Palestine."

What We Know

As the red-carpet arrivals began around 5 p.m., the pro-Palestinian group marched toward the event, which costs roughly $75,000 per ticket.

A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by independent journalist Katie Smith shows the demonstrators roughly a block from the gala around 6 p.m.

"Pro-Palestine protesters remove barricades blocking access to 5th Avenue only a block away from the Met," Smith wrote. "Earlier protesters cut through Central Park to avoid street closures around the Met."

As many as 1,000 protesters were marching through Manhattan on Monday evening.

The demonstrators set out from Hunter College, where pro-Palestinian activist group Within Our Lifetime held a "Day of Rage" rally starting at 5 p.m. before marching toward the Met Gala. The protesters were met with heavy police presence and several people were seen being arrested by the NYPD.

In a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed more than two dozen people were taken into custody.

"Police responded to three scheduled demonstrations at separate college campuses within the 6th, 13th, and 26th precincts," the NYPD said. "These demonstrations involved student groups from Baruch College, Columbia University, and NYU, which had all converged at Hunter College. Approximately 800 participants were marching northbound on Madison Avenue."

The NYPD said that around 6:30 p.m., "multiple people were taken into custody at 80th Street and Madison Avenue. A total of 27 individuals were taken into custody, and the investigation remains ongoing."

Within Our Lifetime posted on X: "DISCLOSE! DIVEST! WE WILL NOT STOP WE WILL NOT REST! From the encampments to the streets NYC stands with Rafah!"

Newsweek reached out via email on Monday to Within Our Lifetime for comment.

The Views

In a series of posts on X, Within Our Lifetime posted updates on the group's march.

In one post shared shortly before 8 p.m., the pro-Palestinian group wrote: "WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!! Heading south on Park, passing 69th St minutes ago."

In another X post roughly 30 minutes later, Within Our Lifetime said that the protesters were "marching down Park Ave. at 65th St. shutting down the streets for Rafah!"

Critics also took to the social media platform to voice disdain for the event that flooded New York City streets.

X user Heidi Bachram slammed the protesters, referring to them as bullies in a post.

"The pro-Pals in New York have migrated from the campuses to the Met gala," Bachram wrote on X. "Screaming 'we don't want no Zionists here' which I guess includes almost everyone that isn't them. They are nasty bullying fascists who would purge anyone who disagrees."

Another X user, AJ Huber, called the protesters "anti-America" in a post.

"After circling the Met for around 2 hours, pro-Palestine mobs in NYC are now marching south on Park Avenue, heading towards Midtown," Huber wrote. "They are not pro-Palestine! They are anti-America! This is not a protest! This is a WAR!"

What's Next

Israeli officials have said they will continue negotiations while Hamas leaders have already agreed to the terms of a ceasefire deal.

Update 05/07/24, 11:17 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comment from the NYPD.