About one thousand protesters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas forced the closure on Friday of Grand Central Terminal, one of New York City’s major transit hubs, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.
“Grand Central Terminal is closed until further notice due to a protest,” the MTA said on its website, urging commuters to use alternate stations and plan for extra travel time.
“Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living,” read one banner raised inside the building.
Thousands are sitting in at Grand Central Station demanding a #CeasefireNOW.In just two weeks, more than 7,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis were killed. Right now, Israeli warplanes are flattening entire neighborhoods in Gaza. This is what the US government is supporting. pic.twitter.com/QybGb9j3XV
— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) October 28, 2023
Images on social media showed protesters pouring out of the train station and onto 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, and a large crowd being detained by law enforcement.
JVP calls for a ceasefire
The demonstration was organized by the anti-Israel organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Thousands are sitting in at Grand Central Station demanding a #CeasefireNOW.” The New York Times, citing a police officer at the scene, reported that there were at least 1,000 demonstrators.
“No more weapons. No more war. Ceasefire is what we’re calling for,” the protesters chanted at the station. The vast majority of JVP protesters wore black and had shirts that read “not in our name.”
The JVP protest caused issues for the thousands of people who were trying to catch trains home, the Times reported. The New York Post said that the protest forced the station’s temporary closure. Police tried unsuccessfully to block the entrances to the station from the demonstrators. They eventually started arresting demonstrators, with one JVP organizer telling the Times that over 300 arrests were made.