(BROOKLYN, NY) — Community members gathered in front of the U.S. Army Recruitment Center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Sept. 14 to protest military recruitment and the ongoing war in Gaza.

The event was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and featured a rally and march. Attendees were mostly young adults—many of them students — with some older adults and children present. Attendees wore keffiyehs, held signs, and chanted in unison.

The protest signs conveyed a sense of urgency, with statements such as “We Demand Ceasefire Now!” and “New York to Palestine: Students Say No to Israel’s Genocide” written on them. Throughout the event, attendees passionately chanted things such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free; from the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.” There was a significant police presence at the event, and NYPD officers prevented event organizers from using microphones during the rally. There were a few counter-protestors in attendance. An altercation occurred in which a counter-protestor appeared to push a pro-Palestinian protestor to the ground.

Many of the protestors who marched are students. [Credit: Erica Petropoulos]

The first speaker, a representative from the Palestinian Youth Movement, emphasized the connection between U.S. Army recruitment and the War in Gaza. “The United States has funded and supported this genocide, and at any point can end it,” he said.

Nisreen, founder of Mamas 4 A Free Palestine, said that army recruiters tend to prey on the most vulnerable communities recruiting at high schools to “funnel vulnerable youth into military service.”  (According to the New York City Department of Education, military recruiters are entitled to receive student information if requested with an opt-out process for students older than 18 or parents of those younger than 18.)

A speaker from the Party for Socialism and Liberation stated that the purpose of the event was to stand against U.S. militarism. “Who gains from this?” They asked.  “The global elite and corporations…are complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people and are enacting the genocide of the Palestinian people. Every bomb dropped on Gaza is another dollar in their pockets.”

One of the protestors, Moné Makkawi, described her motivation for attending the event. “It’s an obligation for every person of conscience,” she said adding that she has been coming to protests like this one for the past year. When asked about the upcoming presidential election, Makkawi said she does not plan on voting in November, stating that “our electoral system gives you the illusion of choice” and that Trump and Harris are similar.

The rally wrapped up with a group prayer in Arabic and English. After the rally, protestors took to the streets and marched north up Third Avenue, chanting things such as “The people united, will never be defeated” and “We want justice you say how? End the siege of Gaza now.”