Massive Pro-Palestine Protests Sweep Through Brooklyn, Demanding Cease-Fire and Peace

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, calling on the U.S. government to stop sending aid to Israel. Organized by the Palestinian-led community group Within Our Lifetime, the protest stretched for several blocks, with participants chanting "Free, free Palestine!" The demonstration comes in response to the ongoing Israeli military assault on Gaza, with Saturday's march occurring a day after Israel entered what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "the second stage of the war." The protest prompted the closure of several blocks of the Eastern Parkway, and the crowd waved banners and signs demanding a free Palestine. The demonstration concluded at Union Square, where protesters beat drums and climbed the square's George Washington statue.