'Flood New York City for Gaza' agitators celebrate 2nd anniversary of Oct 7 massacre in Manhattan

Protesters celebrating the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in Israel took to the streets in New York City on the second anniversary of that grim event, calling to Flood New York City for Gaza. The Oct. 7, 2023 massacre was known by supporters as the Al-Aqsa Flood.

The group took their message through Midtown, from up 6th Avenue, down through Times, over to Columbus Circle, into Hudson Yards, and attempted to "flood" Penn Station.

Demonstrators draped in keffiyehs carried a massive Palestinian flag through the streets. "Long live October 7," said one agitator while arguing with a supporter of Israel. The protests and celebrations of the coordinated, long-planned attack and massacre began the day after it was carried out, Oct. 8, 2023.

They walked through midtown Manhattan, up 6th Avenue, as a large NYPD presence followed. The crowd chanted "free, free Palestine." They carried signs reading "No justice, no peace," and "If I must die u must live 2 tell my story." 

They gathered outside the Fox News building as well. "We will free Palestine in our lifetime," they chanted, along with the old saw calling for the eradication of Israel, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Freedom News TV tracked the movements of the protesters and shared footage.

One man, speaking to the crowd, said, "We did not act enough. We did not act enough. Repeat after me, we did not act enough." The crowd repeated after him with vigor. "If we acted enough, what the headlines behind me would read, Nusra has been liberated. So our work is not done. We will show up, stronger than we did the first October 7, louder than we did the first October 7. Speaking clear, that we are not going anywhere. We will keep fighting until Palestine is free. From the river to the sea, within our lifetime." He then encouraged them to "make some noise."

A large group of demonstrators stopped in the street outside the Trump Hotel in Columbus Circle, at the western edge of Central Park, and prayed Islamic prayers in Arabic. They were guarded by the non-religious protesters.

These celebrations, the calls to "free Palestine," are set against the backdrop of the Trump administration urgently trying to reach a peace deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group. Hamas has agreed to some points, such as releasing all remaining hostages living or dead, but not others, such as releasing them within three days. 

The war will come to an immediate end should these points be agreed to. The key aspects of the plan are to redevelop the bombed-out Gaza region for the benefit of the people of Gaza. Israel's military would pull back to the borders, and Israel would release 1,950 Palestinians detained or imprisoned. The plan even gives amnesty to Hamas members who decommission their weapons and provides safe passage to those who wish to leave. Masses of aid will pour in as well.

The call from activists to "free Palestine" from "the river to the sea" is instead an ask for increased violence and war. The people at these protests are not calling for peace but for further murder, death, and the dominance of one ethnic and religious group over all the others.