More than 200 pro-Palestine protesters were taken into custody on Tuesday night after a 'Seder on the Streets' demonstration outside the home of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Brooklyn, New York. The protest, which involved an estimated 2,000 participants, was organised by far-left groups including Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice.
The demonstrators held a Passover Seder, a ritual holiday meal, while urging Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, to support an end to American weapons supplies for Israel's war in Gaza. A statement from organisers said: 'Hundreds will risk arrest while demanding Senator Schumer, who has recently spoken sharply against Netanyahu, take the next step and stop arming Israel.'
New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that 209 people were detained, though an official arrest count was pending. Videos on social media showed protesters being zip-tied by police in riot gear, chanting slogans such as 'Cease-fire now' and 'Let Gaza live.' They sat around a banner reading 'Jews say stop arming Israel' and projected a digital banner onto the Brooklyn Public Library declaring 'Stop arming Israel.'
Senator Schumer was not at his home during the protest, as he was leading the passage of a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The package includes $26 billion for Israel and Gaza, along with humanitarian aid. Schumer's spokesman Angelo Roefaro noted that the bill includes roughly $10 billion for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Last month, Schumer criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for new elections in Israel once the war winds down. However, protest leaders argued that such words are meaningless if he continues to fund the Israeli operation. Jewish Voice for Peace's political director Beth Miller stated: 'For him to do that with one hand, and then on the other hand reward Prime Minister Netanyahu by pushing forward this military funding package, shows that he is not serious.'
