Pro-Palestinian protesters in Brooklyn clash with NYPD, 22 charged

A chaotic clash between pro-Palestinian protestors and NYPD cops ended with 19 adults and three juveniles charged, officials said Sunday.

The Saturday evening protest on Fifth Ave. near 72nd St. in Bay Ridge, an enclave for a large Arab population in the city, marked the second time in as many days that police took pro-Palestinian demonstrators into custody.

Videos posted on social media show cops arresting several protesters, including one 30-second clip that shows an NYPD officer appearing to punch a demonstrator.

“During the course of a planned protest for which a permit was not attained, officers encountered a mostly peaceful crowd,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “Some demonstrators within the crowd chose to act in a combative and aggressive manner. Officers were pushed, shoved, and struck by some demonstrators within the crowd after the LRAD (long-range acoustic device) device was utilized.”

“Officers were struck with flying debris which included eggs, fireworks, and bottles. Officers responded to this disruptive behavior and attempted to regain order by taking into custody those responsible for these actions. In the course of doing so, the officer seen in the video is reacting to active resistance by criminals within the crowd. The NYPD encourages peaceful protests but will not condone our officers being subjected to any form of violence.”

Ten men and six women were issued summonses for disorderly conduct. Two men, ages 29 and 18, and a woman, 19, received desk appearance tickets for charges including resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to an NYPD spokesman.

Two minors were given juvenile reports, while a third got a summons.

The protest was organized by a group called Within Our Lifetime, called for an end to airstrikes on civilians in Gaza and for a halt to U.S. funding for the Israeli military.

On Friday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in Midtown to demand a ceasefire in the war. Cops took 139 of them into custody for blocking traffic and later released them with disorderly conduct summonses, according to the NYPD.