Anti-Israel protesters arrested trying to disrupt Biden's megabucks fundraiser
Anti-Israel protesters clashed with police in New York City on Friday as they aimed to disrupt a big-money fundraiser for President Biden, which was held 24 after his disastrous debate with former President Trump.
"There is only one solution — Intifada revolution!" demonstrators chanted as they marched from Madison Square Garden toward the Hammerstein Ballroom on West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan where the swanky political gathering was taking place.
Police tell Fox News Digital that at least 38 people were taken into custody in relation to the protest.
Video shows protesters shouting expletives at police and raising their middle fingers, while officers in riot gear were seen arresting some of the unruly demonstrators who refused orders to get off the road and move onto the sidewalk.
The demonstrators also set off green and red smoke bombs. In one chaotic scene, a protester in a wheelchair could be seen on the ground as smoke filled the air.
The protesters, many of whom were masked or wearing keffiyeh, were carrying Palestinian flags while the trans flag, the flag of Saudi Arabia and the flag of Yemen were also on display.
The rally was organized by Within Our Lifetime, an anti-Israel activist group that called on their followers on X to "confront genocide Joe."
"Genocidal politicians are not welcome in New York City," a poster on the group’s X account reads. "Genocide Joe and anyone who supports him or his genocide in Palestine will be met with protests everywhere they go."
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The agitators then made their way to Madison Square Park, located between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue, where one pro-Israel supporter could be seen confronting them and waving what appeared to be a picture of a Hamas hostage taken in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Anti-Israel protesters there could be heard shouting: "Genocide Joe has got to go.'
More than 640 donors gathered inside the Hammerstein Ballroom to hear Biden speak after his highly panned debate with Trump on Thursday, the New York Post reports. Tickets for the fundraiser ranged from $250 for balcony seats to up to $500,000 for a table, while actors Billy Porter and Alan Cumming were among those in attendance.
New York City has become a hotbed for anti-Israel protests over the last few months. Arrests of anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University in April sparked nationwide protests on college campuses, while earlier this month agitators clashed with police during a rally outside an exhibit that memorializes the victims of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Ahead of the Friday fundraiser, Biden tried to reassure Democrats in the crucial battleground state of North Carolina that he still has what it takes to lead the nation for four more years.
"I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious," Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation's history, told cheering supporters.
"Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to," Biden acknowledged. "But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up."
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.