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Brooklyn Bridge shut down by hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters

NYPD Officers in the foreground are seen holding a unidentified woman that was arrested trying to jump a Brooklyn Bridge barrier as dozens of NYPD officers are seen on foot in the background Monday afternoon, April 15, 2024, during a protest to “Free Palestine” and stop Israel’s relentless bombardment and operations in Gaza. NYPD radio transmissions indicated that dozens of protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn side of the bridge.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News
NYPD officers in the foreground are seen holding an unidentified woman that was arrested trying to jump a Brooklyn Bridge barrier as dozens of NYPD officers are seen on foot in the background Monday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
New York Daily News
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

The Brooklyn Bridge was temporarily closed Monday as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marched across the iconic span.

The swarm of demonstrators shut down both lanes of the bridge as they trekked into Brooklyn around 3:30 p.m., video posted to X shows.

Some protesters burned sparklers as NYPD officers on bicycles pedaled toward them.

Dozens of people were arrested on the bridge as a Correction Department bus waited at the bottom of the Brooklyn side of the bridge to transport detainees.

Dozens of NYPD officers on foot and bicycles on the Brooklyn Bridge Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News
Dozens of NYPD officers on foot and bicycles on the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday afternoon during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)

“They are killing my family, and now they are arresting me,” said a woman who identified herself as Palestinian as she was led away in handcuffs.

Drivers were urged to use alternate routes and to expect delays in the area as the protest continued on Monday afternoon.

Earlier this year, pro-Palestinian protesters linked arms across key Manhattan bridges and used their bodies to barricade the Holland Tunnel during rush hour on a Monday morning.

Some protesters even linked their arms in concrete-filled tires and PVC pipes at the main thoroughfares on Jan. 8. Police ultimately arrested about 325 demonstrators.

Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News
A protester holds Palestinian flags during a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday afternoon. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)

Frequent protests have broken out in the city since Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, massacring 1,200 people and taking hostages.

That month, hundreds of protesters calling for a ceasefire temporarily shut down portions of Grand Central Terminal during rush hour. More than 200 people were arrested as officers descended upon the transit hub.

Protesters also tried to disrupt the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the lighting of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree, but were thwarted by heavy police presence in the areas.