A caravan of pro-Palestinian demonstrators snarled traffic around John F. Kennedy International and later LaGuardia Airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Videos obtained by Fox News Digital showed protesters with a bullhorn shouting: “NYPD, KKK, IDF they’re all the same!”
Port Authority later shut down all entrances to JFK for people without a boarding pass. Airtrain services were closed, and cars could not get into the terminal without proof of a ticket, according to the group that planned the caravan: “Within Our Lifetime.”
Supporters of Palestine drive in convoy near JFK Airport as they targeted the airport with protests on January 1, 2024 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
The group said the airport was “swarming with all kinds of law enforcement,” adding that “organizers were forcibly removed from Terminal 4.”
IDF CONFIRMS TROOPS KILLED HAMAS LEADER INVOLVED IN OCT. 7 ATTACK
Video posted to social media shows dozens of vehicles waving Palestinian flags, honking horns, and shouting at police officers.
Supporters of Palestine drive in convoy near JFK Airport as they targeted the airport with protests on January 1, 2024 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
NYPD Chief of Transportation Chief Philip Rivera said the caravan was later headed for LaGuardia Airport.
“The right and center lanes are blocked and are headed towards LaGuardia Airport,” he tweeted.
“If anyone is flying out of JFK Airport today, please plan to travel to the airport ahead of time,” he said. “There are planned protests today and will cause delays. We don’t want anyone to miss their flights!”
LaGuardia was warning travelers to allow for extra time coming into the airport due to “police activity.”
Later Monday, the group called upon supporters to meet at the offices of El-Al, “the Zionist entity’s largest airline” for a protest at 100 Wall Street in Manhattan.
Fox News captured footage of roughly 150 protesters chanting, holding signs, and waving flags.
Council Inna Vernikov derided the caravan as “Hamasnicks” who achieved nothing but making New Yorkers “even more annoyed.”
“They were shut down by PAPD and prevented from entering JFK. They were blocked from entering LGA. Now they’re on their way to a non-existent @ELALUSA office,” Vernikov tweeted. “Today was definitely a victory in helping them ‘Free Palestine.’ Big WIN here. HUGE!”
ISRAELI SUPREME COURT HANDS NETANYAHU A LOSS ON JUDICIAL OVERHAUL AS HAMAS WAR RAGES
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told Fox News Digital it was working with local, state, and federal partners to “help ensure an uninterrupted travel experience at JFK.
New York Police Department officers block a slip road as supporters of Palestine drive in convoy near LaGuardia Airport as they targeted JFK and LaGuardia airport with protests on January 1, 2024, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
The PAPD has not made any arrests. AirTrain service was later resumed and restricted access to Terminal 4 was lifted.
The caravan comes less than a week after another group of pro-Palestinian protesters briefly blocked entrance roads to airports in New York and Los Angeles.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The demonstrations stopped cars on the outskirts of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where some travelers set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadway, as well as Los Angeles International Airport. A total of 62 people were arrested during the two protests, police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
