Pro-Palestine protesters block New York Times headquarters, distribution center

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the entrances of the New York Times' distribution center early Thursday before descending on the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters in New York City.

Video of the demonstration at the newspaper's Queens distribution center that circulated on social media showed about a dozen demonstrators blocking roadways with at least one truck appearing to dump large rocks and other debris on the road. Other debris, including a desk and chairs, were set up along the roadway.

"Consent for genocide is manufactured here," read one sign that could be seen as a distribution truck blared its horn in the early morning hours. "Will you write about this?" asked another sign.

A search on the Times' website did not appear to have stories related to the protest.

Later, dozens of protesters filled the lobby of the Times' Manhattan headquarters reciting refrains that included "From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free."

Another sign struck the word "Times" from the newspaper's title, and replaced it with "war crimes."

Israel's war in Gaza has sparked continuous mass demonstrations in major cities across the US and has led to repeated interruptions at US President Joe Biden's campaign events.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which 1,163 people were killed.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.