Pro-Gaza protesters stage sit-in outside New York Stock Exchange, 200 arrested

Police arrested more than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had staged a sit-in outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday to demand an end to US support for Israel’s war in Gaza, authorities said.

The protesters, many of them from activist groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, chanted “let Gaza live” and “stop funding genocide” in front of the exchange’s iconic building near Wall Street, in lower Manhattan.

None of the protesters got inside the stock exchange, but dozens crossed a police security fence set up outside its main building on Broad Street.

A police spokesperson said 206 arrests were made, without providing details. Jewish groups involved with the protests said around 500 demonstrators attended. The stock exchange had no immediate comment.

The protesters directed anger at American defence contractors and weapons manufacturers. Others chanted slogans against Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where Israel says it is waging war against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

“(Hundreds) of Jews and friends are shutting down the New York Stock Exchange to demand the US stop arming Israel and profiting from genocide,” Jewish Voice for Peace said on X. Israel denies genocide allegations at the World Court, and says its military operations in Gaza target Hamas militants.

There was also a much smaller number of pro-Israel counter-protesters at the site, who carried Israeli flags.

The demonstration was the latest expression of anger against American support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, which it launched after Hamas killed 1,200 in Israel and took 250 others hostage in the October 7, 2023, attacks, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on blockaded Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly the entire population, according to Gaza health officials.