More than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for temporarily disrupting traffic at several vehicle crossings into and out of Manhattan Monday morning, police said.
The protests took place near the Holland Tunnel and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges around 9:40 a.m., the NYPD said.
Police said about 60 demonstrators were reported outside the Holland Tunnel, 50 near the Williamsburg Bridge and 12 by the Manhattan Bridge around 10:45 a.m.
The largest demonstration, with around 200 participants, happened near Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan, according to police.
In a coordinated effort, organizers said the goal was to create a physical representation of the situation in Gaza — where there is no getting out.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said police arrested 325 protesters. Traffic had resumed with delays by around 11:15 a.m.
“In lieu of summons, many protestors will face misdemeanor charges with a desk appearance ticket,” Chell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
At an unrelated press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said the right of protesting does not “give the right to block bridges and tunnels.”
“The goal is to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city. Some people are not just driving to their place of employment, some are going to deal with some real emergency type issues,” he said.
Monday's demonstrations came a week after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic outside John F. Kennedy International Airport, temporarily restricting access to at least one terminal.
Last week, City Hall said more than 480 protests related to the war in Gaza had taken place since Oct. 7.