Protesters gathered in Manhattan on Monday ahead of President Joe Biden’s interview on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, accusing the president of enabling genocide against Palestinians.
Jewish Voice For Peace NYC said on X that hundreds of Jewish New Yorkers and their allies occupied the main lobby at 30 Rockefeller Center and that 50 protesters were arrested as Biden was arriving for his appearance on the late-night talk show with Meyers.
Videos posted on social media show demonstrators holding signs that read “The world is watching” and “Jews to Biden: Stop arming genocide.”
Protesters from the Jewish-led pro-Palestinian group chanted, “Biden, you can’t hide; you are funding genocide,” a shout that has been echoed at other protests.
“The growing public consensus on the need to prevent further loss of life in Gaza as the death toll eclipses 30,000 cannot be denied. Yet President Biden has still pledged an additional $14.1 billion in military funding to Israel,” the group posted on X.
JUST NOW: Hundreds of Jews and allies just took over NBC’s famed 30 Rockefeller Center headquarters in NYC to disrupt @POTUS appearance on @LateNightSeth and make it clear that supporters of genocide are not welcome in our city. 50 protesters were arrested.
pic.twitter.com/z0bTC7VtcE
— Jewish Voice for Peace NYC (@jvpliveNY) February 26, 2024
Biden has pressed Congress for months to send additional foreign aid to Israel, supporting $14 billion to go to Israel and U.S. interests in the region as part of a $95 billion foreign aid bill.
U.N. experts warned in November about a growing risk of genocide, while the International Court of Justice in January called on Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent genocidal acts.
“The situation in Gaza has reached a catastrophic tipping point,” the U.N. experts said about a month after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and some 240 hostages were taken in that attack, according to the Israeli government. Since Israel’s response, at least 29,782 people have been killed as of Monday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
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Biden’s unwavering support of Israel could affect his 2024 reelection chances; multiple polls show a vast majority of Democratic voters support a ceasefire.
Jewish Voice For Peace has organized dozens of protests across the nation calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and denouncing Biden’s policies. On Thursday, the group protested in front of the headquarters for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Midtown Manhattan; the pro-Israel lobbying group has contributed millions in donations to lawmakers in Congress.