Nearly 100 protesters were arrested in New York on Monday during a demonstration calling on Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to block the sale of more than $600 million in U.S. bombs to Israel. The protest, organized by the anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), targeted the lawmakers' Manhattan offices, where demonstrators initially attempted a sit-in before being blocked by security. Afterward, protesters blocked traffic outside, chanting "fund people, not bombs," as police arrested and transported them on three buses.
Among those arrested were whistleblower Chelsea Manning, actor Hari Nef, and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés, according to a JVP spokesperson. The protest focused on resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that aim to halt the weapons sale. Similar measures introduced by Sanders in the past have failed, though his most recent effort last summer drew support from more than half of Senate Democrats amid concerns over humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Schumer and Gillibrand did not support those measures.
Organizers cited Israel's recent air and ground operations in southern Lebanon, as well as the broader U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as reasons for the urgency ahead of an expected Senate vote later this week. "This is the moment when Schumer and Gillibrand must listen to their constituents," said Sonya Meyerson-Knox, JVP's communications director. "The majority of Americans and New Yorkers want a resolution to what the Israeli government is doing." Offices for Schumer and Gillibrand did not immediately respond to inquiries.