By Marlyn Montilla
01 Jul 2024, 17:19 PM EDT
On the final day of LGBTIQ+ Pride Month, protesters disrupted the parade in New York, blocking the route and vandalizing and destroying floats.
A video posted on social media shows a group of anti-Israel protesters sitting in the street with signs and shouting “Free Palestine” and “From the sea to the river, Palestine will be free.”
“It’s certainly a more active presence this year in terms of protest at Pride events,” said Sandra Perez, executive director of NYC Pride. “But we were born out of a protest.”
Other footage shows anti-Israel activists vandalising floats and vehicles during the Pride parade, including spray-painting a truck carrying a group from the LGBTIQ+ community.
“Palestinian protesters in New York are making it clear that they do not want the support of the LGBTQ community,” commented one user on social media site X.
“When the left eats itself, it’s always fun,” wrote another user.
The demonstrations continued into Sunday night with reports of fights involving anti-Israel protesters, Fox News reported.
Some reports say some protesters set up barricades and threw fake blood.
Police also handcuffed dozens of protesters with cable ties.
The theme for the 2024 New York Pride parade was “reflect, empower, unite,” according to the website of the same name.
About a dozen anti-Boeing and anti-Israel protesters were chained together as they blocked Market Street, delaying the 40th annual St. Louis Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30.
The march was briefly halted, but immediate police action ensured that all protesters were evacuated.
“Protesters are refusing to leave the street despite numerous orders to disperse. Protesters will be arrested,” St. Louis police wrote in a post on X.
Keep reading:
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- Several injured at Baltimore Pride event as chemical agent and fireworks are released into the crowd
- Photographer seriously injured while filming fight at Pride event in New York