NEW YORK — More than two dozen people were arrested as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed in New York City’s Times Square and police were investigating the gang assault of a Jewish man as a hate crime, police said Friday.
The melee on Thursday evening resulted in 26 arrests on charges including obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and criminal possession of a weapon, according to city police.
Also, the department’s Hate Crime Task Force said it was investigating the assault of a Jewish man in Times Square on Thursday evening. A video posted to social media purporting to show the attack shows a group of people striking and kicking what appears to be a person down on the street.
Police did not provide further details and it was not immediately clear if the unidentified victim was involved in the demonstrations.
WABC-TV reported that the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries and released.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday in an 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and left more than 200 people dead.
