Brooklyn Protest Condemns Attack During Crown Heights Demonstration

A small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Brooklyn on Monday night to denounce a recent assault on a woman during a protest in Crown Heights, the New York Times reports.

The rally, which began at Barclays Center and proceeded toward the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, unfolded under a significant police presence and remained largely peaceful.

The protest was in response to an incident last Thursday, when a woman was reportedly surrounded and attacked by a group of pro-Israel demonstrators during a larger protest sparked by the visit of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The visit drew both supporters and critics, leading to tense confrontations near the Chabad center.

According to police and video footage shared online, the woman was encircled by a crowd, subjected to physical assault, and targeted with sexist and racist slurs. She has not been publicly identified but provided a detailed account to The New York Times, stating she had not been protesting but was present to observe the scene when the confrontation escalated.

Officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, have acknowledged the incident and confirmed that police are investigating the alleged assault. Adams also cited a second similar incident that occurred during the same protest, where another woman was harassed and injured.

Organizers of Monday’s demonstration cited these incidents as evidence of escalating tensions and called for accountability. Protesters carried signs and chanted in opposition to Zionism and the actions of Ben-Gvir, who has long been a polarizing figure in Israeli politics due to his hardline views.

Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesperson for Chabad Lubavitch, condemned the violence, attributing the behavior to a “small breakaway group” not representative of the broader community.

“Such actions are entirely unacceptable and wholly antithetical to the Torah’s values,” he said.

Statements of condemnation also came from across the political and religious spectrum. The Anti-Defamation League described the violence as “appalling,” while groups critical of Israeli policy, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, linked the crowd’s behavior to the ideology associated with Ben-Gvir.

Though Monday’s rally did not reach its intended destination due to police blockades, participants emphasized the importance of continuing to speak out.

“When I see a mob of 100 men threatening to rape a woman, I’m done defending Israel,” said Erin Williams, a Crown Heights resident. “I’m out in the streets.”

The NYPD reported one arrest during the event, which otherwise remained peaceful. Protests related to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict have been frequent across New York City since the conflict reignited in October 2023, with police estimating more than 2,400 demonstrations have occurred to date.