Pro-Palestine activists invaded the lobby of the New York Times (NYT) building Thursday morning.
The protesters blocked access to the NYT’s printing facility in Queens as early as 1 a.m., resulting in likely newspaper delivery delays, ABC 7 NY reported.
Video posted on social media appears to show a crowd of activists in face masks holding signs and shouting chants. The largest sign read, “STOP THE PRESSES! FREE PALESTINE” in capital letters. Other demonstrators held cutout heads on sticks with red marks over their eyes, footage shows.
HAPPENING NOW: PRO-PALESTINE ADVOCATES SHUT DOWN THE LOBBY OF THE NEW YORK TIMES DURING A HIGH-LEVEL MEETING TO PROTEST THEIR MANUFACTURED CONSENT OF GENOCIDE. pic.twitter.com/PuFef6NVOE
— Jason Rosenberg (@mynameisjro) March 14, 2024
Trucks were prevented from accessing the building to pick up newspapers for delivery, ABC 7 NY reported. Nearby streets were clogged as demonstrators refused to leave the area. Some activists laid down in a human chain, connecting to each other with tubes.
One sign held by activists read, “Consent for genocide is manufactured here,” according to ABC 7 NY. Pro-Palestinian protests have erupted across the United States following the fallout of the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel by Islamic terror group Hamas. (RELATED: ‘It’s F*cked Up!’: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Lashes Out At Pro-Palestine Protesters Chasing Her Through Movie Theater Lobby)
President Joe Biden has faced backlash from Democratic voters who oppose the president’s support of Israel following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on the nation. More than 100,000 Michigan voters selected “uncommitted” on their ballot rather than Biden in the state’s Democratic primary to pressure the president into shifting his stance.
Protesters at the NYT building vacated the area around 3:30 a.m., according to the outlet. Trucks regained access to the newspaper facility and no arrests were reported.
The NYT responded to the incident in a statement, ABC 7 NY reported.
“The Israel-Hamas war is a complex and challenging story, and we receive criticism from each side,” the statement read. “We are open to good-faith disagreement but firmly reject any assertion that our coverage displays bias. We support the rights for groups and individuals to express their point of view, even when we disagree with it as it relates to our coverage, but will not let critics or advocacy campaigns sway us from independent reporting.”