The conflict between Palestine and Israel has been getting more heated with every passing week. But this conflict does not exist in a vacuum. It involves neighboring nations and regional powers who are entangled in the struggle in one way or another. Among them is Egypt, which has been drawing sharp criticism from some pro-Palestinian groups for its decision to enforce a blockade on Gaza. One group, Within Our Lifetime, a pro-Palestinian organization, recently organized a protest on East 44th Street in Manhattan, right in the heart of New York.
What started as a demonstration of solidarity soon spiraled out of control when staff from the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations physically assaulted two demonstrators. In the video, which is now going viral on Reddit, you can clearly see the shocking incident unfold. A group of men is shown dragging two people into the Mission building, one of them reportedly a minor. The footage captures Egyptian staff hitting and even kicking the demonstrators. At one point, as the camera shakes, you can hear the person filming shouting that the Egyptian staff were beating the protesters with a chain.
The chaos only came to a halt when a police car arrived with sirens blaring. The video ends with two New York police officers stepping onto the scene, though the immediate aftermath remains unclear. While some may be tempted to dismiss this as an isolated clash, earlier reports raise the question of whether this is part of a broader stance that Egyptian officials have been encouraged to take. Not too long ago, a leaked phone call surfaced between Egyptian Foreign Minister and Egypt’s ambassadors. In that call, Abdelatty could be heard instructing ambassadors to act harshly against political activists, even suggesting that they detain them inside embassy buildings. For many, this leak made the New York incident all the more disturbing.
Reaction online has been swift. Many users expressed shock and outrage at seeing what looked like diplomatic staff brutally attacking protesters in broad daylight. “The world is getting to be a bigger cesspool,” one redditor wrote. Another user pointed out that this was not an isolated phenomenon, remarking, “Huh, same exact thing happened in Norway roughly a week ago. Palestinian protesters put a padlock on the embassy gate, then sprayed red paint on the staff when confronted. Staff managed to open the gate and began fighting the protesters before dragging one of them inside.”
Some commenters tried to provide historical context, noting the complicated and often tense relationship between Egypt and the Palestinian people. “Didn’t Egypt take Palestinian refugees and then they tried to take over the Egyptian government? This is not justified, but I get their sentiment,” one user argued. Others, however, dismissed such rationalizations entirely, saying that no government staff should ever be assaulting civilians, especially not in a city like New York where diplomatic norms are supposed to be strictly upheld.
Still, the internet being the internet, a few chose to lighten the mood with dark humor. “Welcome to the Middle East,” one redditor quipped, as others piled on with sarcasm and memes.
