Ceasefire activists storm New York Times lobby, block road to publishing plant to protest Israel-Hamas war, 124 arrested

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war stormed the lobby of the New York Times headquarters in Midtown on Thursday morning. 124 of them were then taken into custody.

According to reporting from ABC7, about 150 protesters flooded into the New York outlet's headquarters in Midtown at around 10 am. This came after a group blocked off roads to a New York Times printing facility in Queens on Thursday morning. 

“New York Times, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” the protesters chanted inside the Midtown building. 

Those not arrested stood outside the building and chanted that the NYT's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war was leading to the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza and handed out false copies of the outlet's paper as people walked by. 

The storming of the outlet came just hours after the protesters tried to prevent trucks from accessing the facility by using debris to block off roads at 1 am in Queens. 

The facility in Queens, which prints papers for the New York-based outlet, is also responsible for printing USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and the New York Post. It is one of 27 across the United States. 

In a statement to readers, the Times said, "The Israel-Hamas war is a complex and challenging story, and we receive criticism from each side. We are open to good-faith disagreement but firmly reject any assertion that our coverage displays bias. We support the rights for groups and individuals to express their point of view, even when we disagree with it as it relates to our coverage, but will not let critics or advocacy campaigns sway us from independent reporting."

It added that the demonstration will create "minimal disruption" for distribution.