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The NYPD and Port Authority police seized hundreds of “Shut it Down for Palestine” protestors before releasing them on misdemeanor charges -- not summonses -- after they blocked the entrances to the tunnel and three East River bridges.
That means they must attend court dates in person. Any who don't can have warrants issued for their arrests.
Some of the protesters linked themselves using concrete-filled tires while others held signs that said "Lift the Siege on Gaza," "End the Occupation" and "Ceasefire Now" after the protest began at 9:40 a.m. Jan. 8.
The tunnel reopened at 10:40 a.m. The bridges took a bit longer.
"By 11:15 AM we were able to clear the locations with 325 arrests," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. "In lieu of summons, many protestors will face misdemeanor charges with a desk appearance ticket."
Of those, 124 were made at the Holland Tunnel, Port Authority police reported.
The blockades were the latest in a series of nationwide protests since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7.
Monday morning's protestors marched through City Hall Park, then fanned out to the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges and the tunnel to wreak havoc for more than an hour.
Some motorists shouted at the protestors or took to social media to call for laws allowing drivers to run them over -- which, of course, would fly in the face of the U.S. Constitution.
Some of those who criticized the group said they had it backward: Motorists and pedestrians stream INTO Manhattan during the morning rush.
The protestors allowed certain drivers who appealed to their better nature to let them cross the river.
Those seized by police had their hands zip-tied behind their backs before they were herded onto out-of-service MTA buses and other vehicles.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he understood “the pain of innocent lives being lost right now” but criticized the demonstrators.
“The right to protest does not give one the right to block bridges and tunnels, as we saw this morning,” Adams said. “The goal is to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city.”
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