NYPD prevents anti-Israel agitators from reaching JFK, mob targets LaGuardia, Wall Street instead

On Monday, hundreds of anti-Israel agitators descended upon JFK Airport, disrupting traffic and wreaking havoc on travellers trying to make their flights on time.

Via a series of checkpoints on the highway and at AirTrain stations, police were able to prevent the hordes of protestors from making it to the terminals, however, as travelers scrambled to get to their gates, the mob turned its attention northward to Laguardia Airport, where it was also turned away.

The demonstration, organized by the infamous activist group Within Our Lifetime, was originally planned for JFK's Terminal 4, housing the Israeli airline El Al.
 

"We are inspired by the autonomous group that blocked the road to JFK earlier this week, targeting El Al and its Boeing fleet," WOL wrote in an Instagram post announcing the direct action. "The fight against Zionism, siege, blockade, and occupation is the right to freedom of movement, which has been denied to Palestinians for far too long. This action symbolizes on a smaller scale the lack of freedom of movement in order to bring attention to the Palestinian struggle. As the genocide continues in the new year, we renew our commitment to fighting against it with everything we have from everywhere we are. Our skies are as boundless as the future we fight for."

Around noon, a convoy of vehicles decked out with Palestinian flags and anti-Israel banners began making its way along the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, en route to JFK in Queens. Shortly after, pedestrians on the subway tried entering the airport via the Air Train.

Police were prepared, however, and ensured that only employees of JFK and those with boarding passes were allowed to continue their journey.

"If anyone is flying out of JFK Airport today," the NYPD's Chief of Transportation wrote in a post on X. "Please plan to travel to the airport ahead of time. There are planned protests today and will cause delays. We don't want anyone to miss their flights!"

He later sent an update alerting everyone that the convoy was headed towards Laguardia, however they were unsuccessful there as well.

In a last-ditch attempt to disrupt JFK operations, the activists began launching large balloons near the runways of the airport.

Activists who attempted to access JFK via mass transit were told to go to Manhattan's Financial District, in an effort to target El Al's former office at 100 Wall Street.

"The Hamasnicks declared victory. Victory over what? Disrupting lives of New Yorkers who are now even more annoyed?" Councilwoman Inna Vernikov wrote in response to the protests, mocking the group for not showing up at a "non-existent" office.

As the New York Post reports, El Al moved its headquarters from New York City to Miami in 2022, however, that was not communicated to the hundreds of protestors who arrived at 100 Wall Street.

"These pro-Hamas protestors aren't smart enough to even do a Google search," one X user wrote.

As more protestors made their way through Lower Manhattan, there was reportedly a lack of police presence. Despite this, things did not get violent, and the demonstration remained mostly peaceful.

Police eventually showed up and flanked the protestors as they made their way from Park Row up onto the Brooklyn Bridge.

This is a developing story and will be updated.