Here they go again. As New Yorkers are out in the streets taking care of last-minute Christmas shopping, the anti-Israel crowd is back at it, screaming and caterwauling in the streets, hoping to intimidate shoppers into supporting Hamas.
At this point, you have to wonder if these people are even serious, or if they prefer performative politics over actually doing something productive. As people went about their business, the pro-Hamas protesters from various anti-Israel groups were doing their usual marching and chanting “No Christmas as usual!”
New York shoppers had their last-minute Christmas shopping hampered by pro-Palestine protestors, who vowed there would be 'no business as usual during a genocide.'
Upwards of 142 million customers are expected to join in the 'Super Saturday' shopping spree today across America, however those in the Empire State had more to contend with than just the crowds.
Huge crowds were seen moving down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, with another protest also hitting the largest shopping mall on Long Island, chanting: 'The people are united.'
Large cut-outs of President Biden and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu covered in blood were led past Fifth Avenue stores, while the sidewalks were packed with families carrying Christmas gifts.
Some of the activists appeared to be with groups 'Mothers for Justice in Palestine' and the Long Island chapter of the 'Party for Socialism and Liberation', which shared plans on Instagram this week to 'denounce the corporations who profit off their ties with an apartheid state.'
These people have been engaging in this behavior since Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel on October 7. On Black Friday, pro-Hamas agitators swarmed the streets in New York City and Los Angeles to harass people into embracing their agenda.
Hundreds gathered in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, marching through city streets and converging on The Grove shopping center as part of a nationwide effort to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and advocating for a cessation of U.S. aid to the Jewish State.
A large group of pro-Palestine protesters moved through The Grove shopping center just before noon on Black Friday, carrying a giant banner that read "No Business as Usual."
Organizers of the Shut it Down for Palestine effort say the message behind the march is to "Make it clear that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free," according to the ANSWER Coalition.
The group issued the international call to action to boycott, disrupt and rally at commercial centers on Black Friday, Nov. 24.
"We must keep building momentum and increase the pressure with more marches, walk-outs, sit-ins and other forms of direct action directed at the political offices, businesses and workplaces that fund, invest, and collaborate with Israeli genocide and occupation," wrote shutitdown4palestine on its website.
As time goes on, more information about these groups continues to surface, especially when it comes to their funding. Various progressive entities, including George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, have been pouring millions of dollars to fund these activist groups so they can protest on college campuses and in the streets.
But what is curious to folks like myself is that none of this seems to be moving the needle. How many people have truly converted to the pro-Hamas side after supporting Israel or remaining ambivalent about the overall Israel/Hamas conflict?
It seems to me these demonstrations would do more to repel people than to attract them, especially the ones using violence and blocking traffic. This makes one wonder exactly how serious these people are. Perhaps they believe that putting on these performances will draw more attention to the situation in the Middle East and help move people closer to supporting the destruction of Israel. It is hard to say. But at this point, these people are little more than a nuisance in most cases. Hopefully, it will stay that way without escalating to more threatening behavior.