New York public library defaced by pro-Palestinian protesters in 'shameful act of vandalism'
Images posted to social media showed the sides of the building splattered with red paint, including red handprints and phrases such as "Free Gaza" and "Free Palestine."
One video showed New York police officers guarding the library entrance. A display in front of the library steps was covered in spray paint. Protesters later took over a nearby Starbucks.
"On Thanksgiving, individuals involved in a protest engaged in a shameful act of vandalism to the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman building, a space devoted to the open exchange of ideas and intellectual debate," library spokeswoman Jennifer Fermino told the Washington Post . "This comes at a time when the city’s libraries are facing steep budget cuts that have left us unable to maintain our current levels of service, and this vandalism will be costly to repair."
Earlier that day, protesters took to the parade route in midtown Manhattan and unfurled a banner reading, "Liberation for Palestine and Planet." They called for an end to fossil fuels while supporting Palestinians in Gaza.
The protesters wore white jumpsuits, doused themselves with red liquid and glued their hands to the street to try to disrupt the parade. The crowd lining the sidewalk could be heard drowning out the chants with boos.
On another part of the parade route, protesters waving Palestinian flags and holding pro-Palestinian signs were singing a variety of chants, including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
Some chanted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution," while others called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
NYPD officers were seen removing the protesters from the street and taking them away from the scene so that the parade could continue.
The Office of the Deputy Commissioner told Fox News Digital that 34 protesters were taken into custody. Four of the individuals were arrested and 30 were handed summons.
Last week, pro-Palestinian protesters in New York City converged near Penn Station and blocked access to the main train hub in and out of the city.
