Published April 9th, 2025
What happened during the Global Strike for Gaza protest on Monday April 7, 2025 wasn’t just met with state repression, but with zionist violence, enabled and protected by the NYPD, right in the heart of New York City.
This is the true story directly from the protest organizers. This is what right-wing and zionist-aligned media are refusing to cover and trying to bury under a campaign of misinformation.
The protest began outside of the United Nations, where New Yorkers gathered to demand an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We began by confronting the hypocrisy of the UN as it commemorated World Health Day, highlighting the evisceration of maternal and newborn healthcare in Gaza as bombs continue to rain down on mothers and babies. Yet, as we took to the streets to fight for Palestinian lives and justice, our health and safety were directly threatened by zionist violence.
Within Our Lifetime Chair Nerdeen Kiswani, who is eight months pregnant, was on the front lines of this protest — standing up in defense of Palestinian mothers and babies alike. Yet, despite being visibly pregnant and at great personal risk, the NYPD physically assaulted her while she was attempting to highlight the Zionist violence that was unfolding right before our eyes.
As we began marching from the United Nations to Grand Central, it was clear that we were headed toward the Israeli Consulate General. But as we approached, the NYPD deliberately blocked our path. As they forced us to turn right onto East 43rd St and threatened arrests, we were left with no choice but to move in the direction they dictated. This wasn’t crowd control — it was a trap set up for us. And that’s when the Zionist violence began.
From the Summit NYC luxury building (222 E 44th St), located at what appeared to be the sixth floor, a Zionist resident, proudly holding an Israeli flag from their balcony, began launching projectiles at the protesters below—objects that could have easily killed or injured someone:
•A bucket of bleach (a clear biological hazard)
•A bag filled with rocks and feces (a clear biological hazard)
•Additional garbage bags and debris
One of the final projectiles smashed a car windshield, and just inches from hitting children, protesters were showered with filth and toxic liquids. It was an intentional, violent assault meant to harm and intimidate.
And the NYPD?
They stood by.
They allowed it to happen.
They did nothing.
Not even when police officers themselves were hit by the projectiles.
Instead of taking action against the assailant, the NYPD continued to target us for protesting a genocide paid for with our tax dollars.
When Nerdeen exposed the hypocrisy of the NYPD’s inaction, she was physically assaulted by an officer. Nerdeen is eight months pregnant, a fact the NYPD knew as she had announced it at the start of the protest. Yet, they still chose to assault her for highlighting the NYPD’s crackdown on Palestine and protection of Zionist agitators.
But the NYPD’s double standard isn’t new — their officers have not hesitated to enter buildings in order to target Palestinian organizers and activists in the past. In Bay Ridge, a Palestinian neighborhood in Brooklyn, during WOL’s annual Nakba day rally on May 18, 2024, an officer scaled a building’s fire escape, attempting to enter a private home without a warrant because a speaker had been placed outside a window to amplify our voices. Similarly, on February 10, 2024, police swarmed into a building across from the Brooklyn Museum after a banner was displayed from the roof, attempting to arrest those inside.
However, when it comes to tracking a person hurling dangerous projectiles from a luxury high-rise, they couldn’t use their drone to identify the assailant? The surveillance state only seems to function when it’s aimed at us, not when it’s time to hold Zionists accountable for their violence.
Meanwhile, when a Zionist throws feces and bleach at us from a high-rise, the NYPD says, “We can’t do anything.” It’s clear. The police are not here to protect us. They are here to protect Zionist terror. Throughout the entire protest, the NYPD had a drone in the sky, monitoring and surveilling us from above. This is an extension of the NYPD’s surveillance program on Muslim and Arab communities, which they claim was “shut down” when the NYPD’s Demographics Unit was disbanded, yet we have seen our communities targeted as part of the crackdown on Palestine.
This kind of violence isn’t new—it mirrors what happens in Hebron in the occupied West Bank every day. Zionist settlers have been throwing sewage, human waste, garbage, and wine onto Palestinian homes and markets for years. These settlers are allowed to do so with impunity, while Palestinians live under nets just to survive the constant rain of filth. What happened yesterday in Manhattan is no different. From Hebron to NYC, Zionists attack from above—and the system is built to protect the perpetrators. Meanwhile in Gaza, Palestinians have U.S.-made bombs and missiles raining down on them, massacring entire families and destroying whole neighborhoods for the past 18 months.
Despite all of the violence, the assaults, and the threats of arrests, we did not back down. The NYPD failed to prevent us from making our message heard. We still made our way into Grand Central Station, despite their attempts to block us. We reached thousands of people, and we sent a clear message: No matter how much intimidation and repression they launch at us, we will continue to fight for Gaza.
Yesterday wasn’t just about one protest—it was a larger message. Zionists can commit acts of violence with impunity. Palestinians and our allies face arrest and repression for demanding justice.
But we will not be silenced.
We will not be intimidated.
We will not back down.
We will return—louder and stronger. From the United Nations to Grand Central—shut it all down.
Public Call to Action: Demand Accountability for Zionist Violence in NYC
1. Call the Summit NYC building management at +1 (516) 340-1616 and demand that they take action against the individual responsible for throwing dangerous projectiles. Let them know that this kind of violence is unacceptable and must be addressed.
2. Email the building management at ATeran@summitnyc.com if you were impacted by this violence, and demand accountability for the individual responsible. Make it clear that the violence must be condemned, and the person who threw the projectiles must face consequences for their actions.
3. Spread the word: Share this story on social media, tag the building and elected officials, and make sure people know what happened. The more people hear about the violence and the NYPD’s complicity, the more pressure we can apply.
4. Organize a direct action: Join or help organize a protest or rally outside the Summit NYC luxury building to demand that those who commit violence are held accountable. Let’s make sure that Zionists cannot act with impunity, and that the police and the system must be held accountable for their role in enabling such violence.
This is not just an isolated incident. It’s part of a larger pattern of Zionist terror and state-sanctioned violence. We will not remain silent.
Act now. Hold them accountable.