Police arrested more than 100 people Thursday at protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Midtown Manhattan, with at least one sitting city councilman taken into custody. The protests unfolded as Netanyahu was scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly, adding to a recurring pattern of demonstrations during some of his New York visits.
Police said the arrests occurred at protests opposing Netanyahu's scheduled speech before the General Assembly, according to New York Daily News. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested near the U.N. complex, the outlet reported. Separately, protesters had planned to march from Bryant Park to the U.N. headquarters on East 46th Street as part of the day's demonstrations.
The Daily News reported that Ossé was taken into custody by the NYPD at First Avenue and East 39th Street. Netanyahu was scheduled to deliver remarks at 2 p.m. before the General Assembly. The newspaper also noted that the International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu of war crimes in connection with Gaza.
Mamdani Blasts Netanyahu but Stays Off the Streets
Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized Netanyahu and called him a war criminal, while encouraging New Yorkers to express themselves through peaceful demonstrations, the Daily News reported. Mamdani said he would not personally join the protests. The mayor's comments came even as he has previously said he would have Netanyahu arrested if the Israeli leader entered New York City, according to the same report.
A Recurring Flashpoint Around Netanyahu's U.N. Visits
Thursday's mass arrest total is the latest in a string of large-scale police responses tied to Netanyahu's appearances at the United Nations. Thousands marched to U.N. headquarters through the streets of Manhattan during his visit to the General Assembly the previous year, according to People's Dispatch, which reported that thousands were expected to take to the streets for his September 2025 address. That protest was organized by a coalition including the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Palestinian Feminist Collective, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and the People's Forum, the outlet reported.
The scale of arrests tied to Netanyahu's U.N. trips has varied considerably from year to year. More than 50 people were taken into custody at a pro-Palestinian protest in Midtown Manhattan in September 2024, with nearly three dozen more arrested at a related protest earlier that same week, according to NBC New York. A year later, about two dozen people protested near Netanyahu's Manhattan hotel, with several arrested after police moved the group onto the sidewalk, The Guardian reported at the time. Notably, the NYPD said there were no protest-related arrests at the U.N. itself during that September 2025 speech, according to CBS News New York, a contrast to the scene that unfolded outside the U.N. complex this year.
Protest-response rules and U.N. week traffic
A September 5, 2023, agreement resolving lawsuits over the NYPD’s response to 2020 racial justice protests required a tiered protest-response system emphasizing de-escalation, according to the New York State Attorney General’s Office. The agreement does not establish how officers acted in Thursday’s arrests. The New York City Department of Transportation designated September 21 to September 25 as 2026 Gridlock Alert Days for the U.N. General Assembly and warned of extensive Manhattan street closures and delays. That is general event-week traffic context, not a description of restrictions specific to the protest march.
