Jewish activists fill Grand Central demanding Gaza end

Hundreds of Jewish activists occupy New York’s Grand Central Terminal chanting ‘Let Gaza Live’

NEW YORK, Oct 11 — Hundreds of Jewish activists and allies organized by the advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) filled the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, staging a massive civil disobedience demonstration chanting “Let Gaza Live” and demanding an immediate ceasefire, according to video reports shared on social media platform X and international news outlets.

Dressed in black t-shirts printed with slogans including “Not In Our Name” and “Jews Say Ceasefire Now,” demonstrators packed the historic transit hub during evening rush hour, unfurling large black banners across the concourse that read “Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living”.

Video footage circulated by account @TheSaviour on X depicted the terminal main hall echoing with chants of “Let Gaza Live,” “Ceasefire Now,” and “Never Again For Anyone,” forcing Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials to temporarily restrict terminal access and reroute commuter lines.

Screen capture of a video showing a crowd of demonstrators seated in Grand Central Terminal holding a large black banner that reads CEASEFIRE NOW. — Demonstrators wearing black shirts sit and hold a “CEASEFIRE NOW” banner inside the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, in this screen capture from a social media video obtained on October 11, 2026. Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, hundreds of activists staged a sit-in at the busy transportation hub to demand an immediate end to military operations in Gaza. (Photo: Screen Capture via X/@TheSaviour via The Malaysia Times)

Historic civil disobedience action

Organizers described the emergency sit-in as one of the largest mass civil disobedience actions inside the historic New York landmark in decades.

“Hundreds of Jews and allies took over Grand Central Station in a historic sit-in calling for an immediate end to the war and an end to civilian destruction in Gaza,” Jewish Voice for Peace said in a public statement issued during the protest.

Activists sat cross-legged across the marble floor of the main concourse, blocking major pedestrian walkways while rabbinical leaders and organizers delivered speeches condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and calling on U.S. lawmakers to halt military aid.

NYPD response and mass arrests

New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers wearing tactical equipment surrounded the main concourse shortly after the demonstration began, issuing formal dispersal orders over loudspeakers.

When demonstrators refused to leave, officers moved in with zip-ties, detaining over 200 protesters who offered non-violent resistance. Arrested activists were escorted out of the terminal through side exits to waiting police vans parked along 42nd Street and Park Avenue.

Despite the mass detentions, advocacy groups affirmed that direct actions will continue across major American cities until a permanent ceasefire is established and humanitarian relief reaches trapped civilians in Gaza.

— The Malaysia Times

← Back