Chaos at Grand Central: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Storm the Terminal

In the heart of Manhattan's bustling transit nerve center, a day of "peaceful demonstratio" descended into turmoil yesterday (Saturday) as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to force their way into Grand Central Terminal, clashing with law enforcement in a scene that evoked the raw divisions still simmering nearly two years after the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The confrontation unfolded around 3:30 p.m., when a crowd organized by the Palestinian activist group Within Our Lifetime, having marched from City Hall, rushed the terminal's doors. Authorities swiftly locked and barricaded the entrances, but not before scuffles broke out outside Vanderbilt Hall. Videos circulating on social media captured the intensity: protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting "Free Palestine" while banging drums, hurling profanities at officers, and pushing against police lines. Some footage showed cops wielding batons to hold back the surge, while others tackled agitators to the ground.

Four arrests followed the melee, with two demonstrators detained by the NYPD on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, receiving criminal court summonses. MTA officers took two more into custody, though details on potential charges remain undisclosed. A handful of protesters briefly breached the main concourse, only to be promptly escorted out. Train services, remarkably, continued uninterrupted amid the disruption..*