Hundreds Rally Downtown For Palestine; Menorah Climbing Denounced As Antisemitic

I read that Yale / City / State hired extra security for the lighting of the menorah.
But not for the desecration of ?

Good job going out out of your way to minimize the disgraceful but tragically predictable desecration of the menorah.

You write: "Other protesters pleaded with him to take down the flag and keep the protest peaceful."

Listen to the video and to what those demanding that the flag be removed are saying, quite aware they are being filmed. How did "it's looks bad for us all, it looks bad for us" get translated in your article to "keep the protest peaceful"?

Once again The Independent shows where its ideological allegiance lies.

How does the reporter know yhe chant, shut it down, does not refer to the menorah. The excuse making to try to paint the pototesters as just really good people at heart is truly sickening . All people should deplore these actions being tolerated at the heart of our city. Did the marchers have a parade permit???? Anybody know?

Just making sure I know the rules here. Desecrating a menorah is totally fine but drawing Muhammad warrants homicidal outrage. Got it.

Screw that dude on the Menorah. Dont be complicit. Turn him in.

To protest is one thing, but to desecrate a symbol of Judaism is a sin against humanity. Likewise, to desecrate a symbol of the Palestinians would also be a sin against humanity. May a special place in hell be reserved for the young punk who would hide his face beneath the keffiyeh and behave so shamefully and so disrespectfully.

It is disgusting that this person climbed the menorah, a religious symbol, on the New Haven Green. Of course that person was acting anti-Semitic.... Separately, the New Haven Police is overdue in obtaining metal crowd control barriers for use at parades, protests, events. The wooden "sawhorses" are not sufficient. Metal barriers are is standard practice in other cities that regularly have such events, they assist in the need to project order, for crowd control, and they are effectively used during social protests. The moment the menorah was erected, it should have been surrounded by the metal barriers. Could it have prevented this, no. Would it create a secure distance, prevent some acts of desecration, and send a clear message not to touch said item, yes.

I'm not Jewish nor Palestine, I think it's truly horrible to see anyone killed under any circumstance. No one has the right to take a life, and the HATE must stop, I'm African American and I have lived with the HATE for 78 years in the USA because of the color of my skin, we all have the same color blood, beliefs may be different but that's our right. However, no one has the right to destroy or deface anyone's property!

I went over to see what was happening. They were chanting intifada, intifada and from the river to the sea and intifada in New Haven. I remember the second intifada in Israel involved suicide bombings in public places like buses and restaurants in order to kill civilians. From the river to the sea implies a one state solution with no Israel or Israeli Jews. I brought my camera with me and recorded a little, but I didnt want to record any faces because I was ashamed for them. I have some video which has the sound and the backs of the protesters heads but Im not going to post it because its very ugly. As far as Im concerned, both Jews and Arabs are indigenous people in the Middle East and so this isnt an issue of colonialism; the Jews and the Arabs are both semitic people. If there is ever going to be peace, there needs to be a two state solution with a Jewish State and an Arab State living peacefully side by side just as the United Nations proposed in 1947.

It's so naive to think our local elected officials have any influence on this conflict.

Stop wasting everyone's time with this nonsense and maybe protest the fact that kids in new haven can barely read. What is the number, 30~% of 3rd graders are reading at the appropriate level?

Start caring about something that actually impacts your community and not something you're being manipulated into caring about.

The punk wore a mask. Like a criminal. Too much of a coward to show his face but his mother knows who he is.

If you listen to the crowd there is cheering as he climbs and not the act of a lone wolf ...shame on the crowd and the anti semites disguised as liberals

If someone did this to a symbol of Islam the FBI would investigate it as a hate crime. But it seems that symbols of Judaism are fair game for vandalism

Do these protestors speak for New Haven? How many are New Haven residents? How many are part of a unified protest organization, that prides itself in the number of bodies, people, they can muster to create and illusion of a certain public opinion, by paying "protestors", organizing them in advance, and with a large portion of these people not even understanding the events, ideas, actions, that they think they are protesting against. And the lame reasoning/excuses after events to change the meaning of phrases used now for decades, to drive protests, and terrorism, against Israel. How many are Yalies, or associated with Yale, who come from an economically robust home, or town, community. That uses news media, to justify their protest, and emotions. They are so shallow, it is painful. Best example: not one of these adults, had the courage to go remove that man from the Menorah, and obvious act of antisemitism. Not One! Seems a similar attitude was evident in Germany coming into the Holocaust.

Thank you to the Palestinian support protesters who demanded that their fellow protestor get down off the menorah, and especially thank you to the protester who removed the flag from the menorah.
To all the demonstrators who are rallying for the cause of peace in the Middle East, regardless of which side you support, behave in a way that you would like others to behave towards you. That is the only true path to peace. Respect others. Even if you dont agree with them.

I pray for peace in the Middle East.
The three major Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have deep historical roots from the beginning of human civilization in this part of the world. Some of our most sacred and ancient religious sites are located in this part of the world.
We are all part of the human race, and we are all related by DNA if you trace our DNA back to the earliest modern humans which came out of Africa through the Middle East to spread out over the entire globe during the Great Human Migration to populate our planet. We are all distant cousins of the first modern humans.
The sooner we all accept that fact, and treat each other with dignity and respect and humanity, the better off we all will be.
Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Even if you disagree with them. Be a better human being.

Why does the support of Palestinian people mean one is an Antisemite? Thousands of innocent people including over 7000 children have been slaughtered.

The connection between the Black community and both the Palestinian and Jewish communities is complex and multifaceted. It's historically rooted in shared experiences of struggle against oppression and discrimination, yet recent geopolitical events have sparked debates and divisions within these communities.
The solidarity between the Black community and the Palestinian cause, as evidenced by the Black Lives Matter movement in the George Floyd protests arises from a shared sense of oppression, discrimination, and a call for justice. Many activists see parallels between systemic racism in the United States and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leading to a sense of shared struggle.

The cultural interconnectedness between Palestinian Americans and African Americans is evident, especially in the realm of entertainment and the arts. Many Palestinian Americans have found a home within Black culture, contributing significantly to its richness and diversity.

The collaboration between the Jewish community and the NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement was pivotal. Jewish individuals were heavily involved in advocating for civil rights alongside African Americans, recognizing the shared struggle against discrimination and inequality. This history of collaboration and mutual support has contributed to a sense of respect and appreciation that left a lasting positive impression within the Black community toward Jewish allies.

The challenge lies in navigating these complex relationships while acknowledging the historical ties and current disparities. Why should I have to choose one group over the other? To support the Palestinian people is not a support for HAMAS.

While it might seem like a cliché, Rodney King's plea for harmony and understanding, "Can't we all just get along?" remains poignant and relevant.

If the organizers are truly upset with the person who placed the flag on the menorah, then they should identify the person so he can face justice.