Pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby, and clashing with police, according to witnesses. The museum, located in Brooklyn, New York City, closed an hour early due to the disruption, which included skirmishes between police and protesters both inside and outside the building. Some arrests were made, but a New York Police Department spokesperson said an official count would not be available until after the protest ended. Although a demonstration continued outside the museum hours later, the spokesperson could not confirm if any protesters remained inside.
Police followed the protestors to the roof, while a helicopter circled overhead. A protestor was arrested for defacing an outdoor sculpture with graffiti, Reuters reported. Several protesters wrote messages about the OY/YO sculpture in the plaza outside the entrance.
In a statement released prior to the protest by Cultural Front for Free Palestine, the newly formed advocacy coalition criticized major art institutions for their silence on Israel’s seven-month military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 30,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the local health ministry. The statement highlighted Israel’s ongoing offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about one million Palestinians had sought refuge, although most have since fled amid the assault, as reported by the New York Times and the UN earlier this week.
The coalition’s statement urges the museum to publicly recognize the war in Gaza as genocide, referencing evidence from human rights organizations such as the International Federation for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur. Cultural Front is also demanding full transparency of investments tied to companies that profit from arming Israel and calls for divestment from these corporations, including all arms and surveillance manufacturers.
“The Museum relies heavily on subsidies from the City of New York, along with the granting of the land it sits on, and so its financial activities should be publicly accountable. This process of accountability should also include the disclosure of funds from donors and trustees who are heavily implicated in the Occupation,” the statement added.
