Led by the anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace, a crowd of hundreds of people initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of two Democratic lawmakers, whom they accused of escalating Israeli attacks in Lebanon and fomenting a US-Israeli war on Iran.
After security forces prevented protesters from entering the building, they stopped traffic outside, chanting “Give the people money, not bombs” as they were arrested and loaded onto three buses.
According to a JVP spokesperson, the 90 detained included whistleblower Chelsea Manning, actor Hari Nef and New York City Council member Alexa Aviles.
The demonstration focused on a set of proposals introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders that would have halted the sale of more than $600 million worth of bombs to Israel.
Similar measures previously introduced by Sanders, an independent from Vermont, have failed. But the most recent effort last summer received the support of more than half of Senate Democrats amid widespread hunger and suffering in Gaza. Schumer and Gillibrand were not among them.
Protesters said Monday that Israeli air and ground attacks on southern Lebanon, as well as a larger US-Israeli war on Iran, increased the urgency of the vote, which is expected to take place later this week.
“This is the moment when Schumer and Gillibrand should listen to their constituents,” said Sonya Mayerson-Knox, communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace. “The majority of Americans and New Yorkers want solutions to what the Israeli government is doing.”
Inquiries to Schumer and Gillibrand were not immediately returned.
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