Ahead of the Democrat National Convention, hundreds of anti-Israel activists swarmed to an afterparty celebrating a Harris-Walz campaign rally in New York City — giving Americans an excellent preview of the violence and destruction that will likely take place outside the DNC.
After a rally was held in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in New York City on Wednesday night, Harris supporters gathered at an afterparty at a restaurant in Harlem — including NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D), New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Harris and her running mate, far-left Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were not in attendance.
However, the event quickly went off the rails when hundreds of anti-Israel activists swarmed in and began protesting — waving banners, playing drums and other music, and ultimately getting violent with police officers.
HAPPENING NOW: Pro-Palestine protesters gather outside of Kamala Harris campaign event in Harlem, NYC. pic.twitter.com/DAlr6rpaKO
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) August 15, 2024
The activists reportedly tossed smoke bombs at the event and were seen attacking police officers. Footage of the chaos shared by Sky News showed anti-Israel radicals lining the street, invading the restaurant and shouting at attendees.
At least 50 activists entered the Bird in Hand restaurant on Broadway and West 146th Street and began screaming at attendees over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
“You set Palestine on fire,” one protester was heard screaming, as another activist cried “shame.”
“How dare you,” another protester yelled.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were seen on video attempting to keep the peace, though they were ultimately forced to fight off the rioters and arrest at least 14 people. One of the rioters was taken into custody after she tried to hit police officers with her cardboard sign.
Palestinian terror enthusiasts getting arrested in NYC.
They were upset that Kamala isn’t sufficiently anti-Israel for them. They need Kamala to come out openly in favor of HMS to feel satisfied.pic.twitter.com/1y1asNslUB
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) August 15, 2024
The owner of the Bird in Hand restaurant, Brian Felicetta, told the New York Post that the damages from the rioters will amount to at least a few thousand dollars.
“It’s my flowers that took the worst of this beating,” he said, while crediting the police for their quick response and thanking his staff for addressing the situation properly.
“Nothing really came of it besides us, a small business, mom-and-pop business in New York, I’m gonna be the one waking up in the morning fixing all this,” Felicetta continued, adding: “Myself and my (business) partner were both born-and-bred New Yorkers, we’re for everybody, so I don’t know what the target or intention was based around this, but it makes no sense to me.”
As this was just a small event with just a relatively small number of protesters, it was a small preview of the protests and riots that are expected to take place at the DNC, which begins in Chicago on Monday. Many commentators have predicted that the massive number of anti-Israel activists planning to descend upon Chicago in the coming days will likely include violent activists who have no qualms about fighting with police and trying to shut down the DNC.
