The Issue: A protest in Grand Central last Friday calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
I’m all for freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, but not when it’s to support terrorism and when it’s a detriment to the safety of others (“Anti-war rally closes Grand Cent.,” Oct 28).
I take great exception at the manner in which the NYPD handled the Grand Central invasion of Friday, Oct. 27.
My daughter and other commuters minding their business walking to their track all of a sudden were engulfed by the rush of the crowd, and although they were pleading with the police officers to let them through to their track, they were told they had to stay put in the middle of this insanity.
My daughter was traumatized and feared that she would be trampled on — and for what? A futile protest.
Newsflash: All the protesting in the world are not going to persuade Israel to a ceasefire. All these jackals are doing is wreaking havoc and danger upon law-abiding citizens.
Lorraine Caggiano
Yonkers
The Jewish Voices for Peace supporters who shut down Grand Central Terminal with a sit-in on Friday evening are indeed Hamas’ “useful idiots.”
If any of the misguided anarchists who participated were to spend about 15 minutes embedded deep in Gaza while being identified as Jews, they would undoubtedly gain a better appreciation for Hamas’ self-professed approach toward both Jews and Israel.
Michael Lustig
Manhattan
Where is the outrage about the shutdown of Grand Central Terminal?
How dare Mayor Adams and the MTA allow a major transportation hub to be shut down.
They should protest in specific designated areas in the city. We don’t need the complete collapse of rules in New York City.
Maybe this distracts from Mayor Adams’ and Gov. Hochul’s disastrous crime policies and migrant failures.
Grand Central was a situation that needed immediate action by the Adams administration. It should have cleared out the protesters and reopened Grand Central.
Linda Simon
Manhattan
We are now being exposed on a daily basis to the tragicomedy of pathetically uninformed, willfully ignorant masses (some perhaps thugs-for-hire) staging demonstrations against the country of Israel.
That country is currently shedding the blood of its sons and daughters in a war against a ruthless enemy.
Ironically, that war will also free the Palestinians from their real oppressors — the butchers of Hamas.
Frank DeLustro
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
As an American of Irish descent, I can empathize with the need for further talks on land use in Israel with respect to Palestinians.
Yet the time to talk is after the terrorist threat has been neutralized. The actions against civilians on Oct. 7 are akin to other uncivilized acts of terror against civilians throughout history and are unequivocally unacceptable.
“Pro-Palestinian” protests have risen up on the heels of such atrocities. This is shameful, as there has been no distance between the atrocities and the support of such action.
There can be a ceasefire when all hostages are released. Then talks can begin for civilized, cooperative and represented populations coexisting in Israel and beyond.
Deirdre Harvey
Valley Stream
Friday, people were allowed to shut down Grand Central Terminal for hours during evening rush hour. Saturday, another protest shut down the Brooklyn Bridge.
Mayor Adams is giving them carte blanche to protest anywhere they choose. He seems to have zero control of the city, and it will only get worse.
Carol Meltzer
Manhattan
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