Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered and marched near Met Gala in New York City On Monday night, several people were arrested by the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Amid a heavy police presence, protesters carried Palestinian flags, played drums and chanted “Free, free Palestine!” They marched down Madison Avenue, one block east of the venue, chanting slogans.
Videos and photos from the scene also showed protesters walking through Central Park and being arrested by police officers, as well as flooding the street and blocking traffic on nearby Park Avenue.
NYPD confirmed Independent It said several people had been arrested, but did not provide additional details.
According to New York PostAs the number swelled to over a thousand, protesters were stopped at the East 79th St intersection in Central Park by a double line of police officers in riot gear.
Despite this there was opposition Heavy police force present outside the program This year, that includes steel barricades and road closures. NYPD representatives were also seen near it events With mask and zip tie handcuffs.
In recent years protesters have often used this dazzling event, in which celebrities wear surreal and extravagant gowns, as a platform for social causes, including raising funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 2021, nine Black Lives Matter protesters were arrested outside the event while they were calling for officers to defund and dismantle the NYPD and breaking through barricades set up by police.
This year, several protests related to the Israel–Hamas war were held across New York City on Monday, including demonstrations at Columbia and New York University in what was called a “citywide day of rage for Gaza.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams, along with other NYC officials, Has blamed “external agitators” for the protests at Columbia University in Manhattan, but academics and journalists have Questioned his evidence for those claims,