New York City Mayor Eric Adams promised a "review" of police actions Monday after NYPD officers were captured on video at a pro-Palestinian march in Brooklyn repeatedly punching at least three demonstrators pinned to the ground.
But he characterized the confrontations as "isolated" incidents in a call-in interview to 1010Wins radio, and praised officers for doing a "commendable job under very difficult circumstances."
The protesters did not appear to be violent in several videos posted on social media.
Democratic City Council member Justin Brannan, who represents the Bay Ridge neighborhood where the march took place, said he saw "no evidence of actions by protesters that warranted such an aggressive response from the NYPD."
A police spokesman said demonstrators were blocking traffic with the march. A large NYPD contingent arrived on the scene to order the marchers to stay on the sidewalk.
Democratic State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who also represents the area, said that local leaders had discussed the planned march with police officials ahead of time, and called the surprise police response "incredibly concerning."
Following the backlash, NYPD officials said Monday the protest was "non-peaceful" and officers were "assaulted."
Police arrested 34 people for "unlawfully blocking the roadway," Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD deptuy director of operations said in a post on social media after the march, which drew hundreds of participants.
At least two officers in the white shirts typically worn by commanders and a uniformed officer were filmed from behiind punching three different protesters as they lay on the ground.
One officer pinned down a man before punching him in the ribs. Another punched a protester's face.
A video posted on Twitch showed officers grabbing a man filming them and wrestling him to the ground.
New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a statement that the police handling of the demonstration was a "violation of New Yorkers' right to speak out."
The "continual pattern of NYPD aggression against pro-Palestine demonstrators raises important questions about the city's disparate treatment of speakers based on their message," she added
Lieberman said NYPD's Strategic Response Grooup, which is in charge of policing demonstatrations, has been the target of several lawsuits.
Councilmember Brannan told the New York Times that "clearly, there was a zero-tolerance edict sent down ... which escalated everything and made it worse."
He added: "From my vantage point, the response appeared pre-emptive, retaliatory and cumulatively aggressive."
Daughtry said in his post that the NYPD "proudly protects everyone's right to protest, but lawlessness will never be tolerated." He showed drone footage of the march with a protester on top of a bus, "putting himself and others in danger."
Yesterday, 34 individuals were placed under arrest in Brooklyn after unlawfully blocking roadways. As you can see from this drone footage, one individual even climbed atop an @MTA bus, putting himself and others in danger.
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 19, 2024
The @NYPDnews proudly protects everyone’s right to… pic.twitter.com/8rxpaI5iq8
The marchers were protesting the war in Gaza as they commemorated the Palestinian Nakba when hundreds of thousands were forced from their homes in the war that ended with the creation of Israel.
