Video of Upset Driver Shoving Pro-Palestinian Protesters Goes Viral

Video shared on social media shows an angry New York City driver scuffling with pro-Palestinian activists after the group blocked streets and halted rush-hour traffic on Monday.

The minute-long clip shows a driver, upset the protesters were disrupting traffic, shouting at them and shoving people who were standing in the road as part of a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas.

In NYC on Monday morning, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the pro-Palestinian activists blocked off entrances to the Holland Tunnel and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, snarling rush-hour traffic for more than an hour as they opposed Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and demanded a ceasefire.

Newsweek reached out via email on Monday to the NYPD for comment.

Video of the altercation between the driver and protesters quickly went viral on social media, amassing millions of views on X.

In one post, X user Elad Eliahu said the incident occurred as protesters were blocking the Williamsburg Bridge.

"Angry NYC driver shoves Palestine protesters blocking the Williamsburg bridge during rush hour traffic this morning out of his way. 'You're disrupting traffic idiots, you can't do that, it's against the law,'" Elad Eliahu said in the post.

Another X account, End Wokeness, also shared the viral clip, which garnered more than 2.2 million views and thousands of comments.

"'I HAVE A DAUGHTER IN BROOKLYN. GET THE F-CK OUT OF THE WAY,'" End Wokeness posted on X. "Fed up black driver physically removes the Free Palestine protestors blocking off the bridge in Manhattan."

Following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, the Middle Eastern country swiftly declared war on the Palestinian militant group and responded with its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. Israeli officials have said that 1,200 people were killed in Hamas' strikes, according to the Associated Press, while the Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 23,000 Palestinians have died in counterstrikes.

The conflict in Gaza, which was home to roughly 2.3 Palestinians at the start of the war, has ignited daily protests, as calls for a ceasefire across the world continue to mount. Those demanding an end to the violence point to the jarring number of dead in Gaza, most of whom, the ministry said, were civilians. The number of Palestinian civilian casualties has sparked accusations of Israeli war crimes.

The NYPD said protesters gathered at the Holland Tunnel around 9:30 a.m. and photos show them holding Palestinian flags as well as signs, which read, "Lift the Siege on Gaza" and "End the Occupation." Other groups linked arms and blocked off streets around the three bridges while chanting, "Free Palestine" and "Ceasefire Now," videos shared on X, formerly Twitter, showed. In some clips, protesters sat on the road with their hands tied or holding signs.

A total of 325 people were arrested and the sites were cleared around 11:15 a.m., the NYPD said.

"In lieu of summons, many protestors will face misdemeanor charges with a desk appearance ticket," the NYPD said in a statement on X.