Pro-Palestinian protesters compared Gaza to a concentration camp and laid blame on the Nova Music Festival victims for the Hamas massacre that occurred there during the October 7 attacks, according to footage taken during the Monday Union Square memorial in New York that honored victims of the Nova Music Festival massacre.
The protesters were recorded repeating words spoken by Within Our Lifetime (WOL) organizer Nerdeen Kiswani.
“On October 7th, on the Nova Music Festival A.K.A [also known as] the place where Zionists decided to rave next to a concentration camp. That's exactly what this music festival was. It's like having a rave right next to the gas chambers during the Holocaust," the protesters chanted, repeating after Kiswani. "This is beyond what you saw in the Zone of Interest."
“Showing this exhibit is nothing more than Zionist propaganda to try and justify the mass murder of the Palestinian people that we see day in and day out," Kiswani continued.
“Just a few days ago, US and Israeli forces disguised as humanitarian aid trucks decided to invade a refugee camp in Gaza to save the same hostages that they have been bombing for the last eight months along with the people of Gaza. Over 200 Palestinians were killed, 700 injured. This is on top of the 40,000 Palestinians killed in the last eight months alone.
“The US built this port for so-called aid or at least that's the lie they told. Instead, they used it to further the genocidal mission of the Zionist entity. The massacre of 40,000 Palestinians is on Biden’s hands, is on [New York Mayor] Eric Adam’s hands and even we are all complicit because these are our tax dollars and this is our government claiming to speak for us when committing genocide against the Palestinian people.
“Let's not give the Zionists attention, they would rather talk about anything else instead of Gaza…”
“We are standing in front of 35 Wall Street, where there is an exhibit of the Nova Music Festival, a.k.a. the place where Zionists decided to rave next to a concentration camp. That’s exactly what this music festival was” Nerdeen Kiswani, organizer with Within Our Lifetime,… pic.twitter.com/L2DGzHi0a1
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) June 11, 2024
The Anti-Defamation League said Kisawani had been arrested multiple times during pro-Palestinian protests and has been kicked off multiple social media platforms for breaching community guidelines. The ADL also has a screenshot of Kiswani’s Instagram story, where she seemingly praised Hamas.
The story depicted a child kissing a Hamas terrorist with the cut-off text “Do you condemn Ham-” Additionally, the ADL also claimed that in November 2023, Kiswani appeared on Iranian government-backed TV where she asserted that “Resistance is the only way” forward in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has also reportedly shared content venerating PFLP terrorist Leila Khaled.
The IDF operation referenced by Kiswani saw the IDF successfully free four hostages kept in Hamas captivity for eight months. The exact number of casualties incurred during the operation is unknown, though the IDF believes the number to be below 100 which disputes Hamas’s claims. Unmentioned by Kiswani was why hostages were being held captive in a refugee camp or the fact that casualties were also likely the result of terrorists shooting at the escaping hostages.
Additionally, the figure of 40,000 killed comes from the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, which has been accused of both inflating figures and failing to draw distinctions between civilian and terrorist deaths.
The US-built pier was also constructed to ensure that humanitarian aid could reach Palestinian civilians without falling into the hands of Hamas.
Condemning the protests
The protests, which saw open support of Hamas and Hezbollah, were widely condemned.
Mayor Adams slammed the protest, calling the protesters “despicable.”
The protest also drew condemnation from the White House.
US President Joe Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, “The horrific acts of Antisemitism this week – including a demonstration celebrating the 10/7 attack, vandalism targeting Jewish homes, attacks on Jewish faculty at college campuses, and harassment of subway riders – are abhorrent.
The horrific acts of Antisemitism this week – including a demonstration celebrating the 10/7 attack, vandalism targeting Jewish homes, attacks on Jewish faculty at college campuses, and harassment of subway riders – are abhorrent.Antisemitism doesn't just threaten Jewish…
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 14, 2024
“Antisemitism doesn't just threaten Jewish Americans. It threatens all Americans, and our fundamental democratic values.”