New York, June 29 (RHC)-- Clashes erupted in New York Friday night as hundreds of Palestine solidarity activists and anti-war demonstrators attempted to force their way into a venue where U.S. President Joe Biden was attending a campaign event.
Footage shows police making arrests as they attempted to disperse the crowds outside the Hammerstein Ballroom on West 29th Street in downtown Manhattan. Protesters are seen clad in keffiyehs while waving Palestinian flags and releasing green smoke.
"This is about fighting against imperialism and colonialism worldwide. Israel is a colonialist project that is run by the imperialist United States," an activist said. "We have an absolute responsibility to do something about it. Our tax dollars go to this; our tax dollars kill children; we have a responsibility to speak up whenever we can, every single day," she continued.
According to local reports, at least 32 protesters were arrested as they marched to the venue from Madison Square Garden.
The rally was organized by 'Within Our Lifetime', a prolific activist group in Manhattan led by Palestinian-American Nerdeen Kiswani.
Biden was attending a campaign fundraising event at the Hammerstein Ballroom, where he reportedly met with 640 donors as he looks to take on former President Donald Trump in November's presidential election.
Police in riot gear clashed on the sidewalk on the corner of West 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, less than a block from the venue. Cops could be seen taking several protesters into custody through the thick plume of smoke as others in the group tried to wrestle them away from police.
“Clear the block,” one officer can be heard yelling in the chaos.
“There is only one solution — Intifada revolution!” demonstrators chanted.
The flag-waving protesters also briefly stormed the lobby of the James A. Farley Building on Eighth Avenue and attempted to climb another flight of stairs inside before returning to the street, video shows.
Inside the fundraising event, President and candidate Joe Biden said: “Folks, I would not be running again if I did not believe with all of my heart and soul that I can do this job because quite frankly, the stakes are too high. Donald Trump is a genuine threat to this nation,” he told supporters — repeating the same assertion made at an earlier rally in North Carolina.
Tickets for the fundraiser ranged from $250 for balcony seats to up to $500,000 for a table, sources told The Post.
The fundraiser and protests came one day after Biden’s horrible age-revealing performance in the first presidential debate with his Republican opponent Donald Trump.
Hours earlier, The New York Times Editorial Board called for Biden to bow out of the presidential race due to his obvious aging.
