Port Authority police arrested more than two dozen pro-Palestinian protestors who blocked the Van Wyck Expressway at JFK Airport in Queens on Wednesday in a demonstration that halted traffic for almost an hour.
Demonstrators drove to the airport, parked their cars in the middle of the road and linked hands shortly after 11 a.m., creating gridlock as travelers tried to get to the airport. They were calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war — in which more than 20,000 people have died since Oct. 7, according to health officials in Gaza.
“We wanted to specifically target the JFK Airport as a place where people are leaving to return to the Tel Aviv airport,” protester Sema Dayoub told Gothamist. “We really wanted to highlight that, while people are returning [home], Palestinians cannot.”
New York City has experienced about 450 demonstrations related to the war since it broke out, city officials said last week, noting that less than 1% of the roughly 158,000 people who participated received summonses or appearance tickets. Some of the protests have occurred at high-profile sites in the city, including the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Terminal and college campuses.
The Port Authority said in a statement its officers arrested 26 people for disorderly conduct and impeding vehicular traffic on Wednesday. It added that the road reopened at 11:50 a.m. and two airport buses were dispatched to help stranded travelers reach the terminals.
Dayoub said the protesters were not affiliated with a specific activist group and organized the demonstration through word of mouth. They said the demonstrators passed out money to cab and ride-hail drivers to make up for their lost trips because of the temporary blockade.
“We understand that people are going to be frustrated, and that this is an inconvenience to people,” Dayoub said. “But in comparison, any inconvenience that we face, whether it be being stuck for a little bit, missing out on an hour of work or being…
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