Photographer Nan Goldin and 200 Jewish Activists Arrested at New York City Protest in Support of Palestine
**Jewish Voice for Peace Activists Arrested During Protest Against Israel’s Actions in Gaza**
On October 14, 2024, in a powerful display of civil dissent, over 200 activists, including prominent figures such as artists Nan Goldin and Molly Crabapple, and filmmaker Laura Poitras, were detained during a sit-in protest organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The demonstration was aimed at raising awareness about the financial ties between American defense manufacturers, such as Lockheed Martin, and Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
### The Protest: Context and Message
The demonstration attracted around 500 people, with the participation of Holocaust survivors’ descendants, all united under the JVP’s call for halting the U.S. arms flow to Israel. Activists set the scene by staging visual protests around iconic Wall Street structures, notably draping red garments over the famous bronze statues “Charging Bull” (1989) and “Fearless Girl” (2017). Banners emblazoned with urgent calls to action, including “Gaza Bombed, Wall Street Booms,” “Stop Arming Israel,” and “Fund FEMA Not Genocide,” further underscored the correlating rise in defense stock prices with the intensifying violence in the Middle East.
The protest coincided with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S. and Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, adding a layer of historical and ethical urgency to the demonstration. This convergence signaled a broader critique of U.S. and Israeli policies, linking ongoing efforts in Gaza to colonial histories and the enduring fight for justice.
### Visual and Musical Engagement: Art in Protest
Artistic expression played a significant role in the protest. The Resistance Revival Chorus, a group of women and nonbinary singers, performed a moving call-and-response song affirming solidarity with Palestine: “Oh Palestine, you are not alone. We will be with you, until you’re safe at home.” The act of melding music, history, and resistance reinforced the protest’s core message, advocating for Palestinian safety and sovereignty.
### Acts of Civil Disobedience and Arrests
At the Stock Exchange’s entrance, a moment of heightened tension unfolded as at least six activists chained themselves to the gates. In what has now become a widely shared visual, New York City police officers had to forcibly remove some participants by carrying and dragging them away. “I’m proud to be arrested with them if it helps amplify our message,” said Nan Goldin in a statement to Hyperallergic, echoing the protesters’ commitment to elevating the voices of those marginalized by the ongoing conflict.
Activists were taken into custody shortly after noon, with some, like Goldin and Crabapple, released by the following day. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported that “multiple people” were detained but did not confirm charges.
### Connecting to Historical Protests
The Stock Exchange has long been a symbol of economic power, and over the years it has become a stage for various social protests. As this sit-in unfolded, several participants harkened back to moments in history where similar strategies were employed to fight injustices. Notably, parallels were drawn to the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, which in 1987 protested on Wall Street to demand affordable AIDS treatments, leading to price reductions. Gregg Bordowitz, an artist and ACT UP activist, participated in a symbolic lock-on to the exchange in 1989, and reflected on the continuity between these struggles, stating, “For those of us still alive today, the continuity of struggle and commitment remains clear.”
This historical reflection was echoed in the broader anti-war sentiment of the demonstration, where demands for life-affirming policies—such as increased funding for emergency response agencies like FEMA—took center stage next to calls for an end to an unrelenting cycle of warfare and arms trading.
### The Role of Independent Artists in Fueling the Movement
The involvement of independent artists like Crabapple, known for her politically charged work, and Goldin, whose career spans decades of documenting the intersections of life and adversity, has further energized the publicized response to Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Every day we see a new, unspeakable Israeli war crime on our smartphones,” Crabapple remarked, voicing frustrations shared by many over the social media documentation of the Gaza conflict.
For Crabapple, this moment of protest aligned with her deep love for both Palestinian and Lebanese communities, citing the relentless bombings in both Gaza and Beirut. “With their genocidal campaign, Israel is destroying the people and places I love, with the enthusiastic help of the U.S. government,” she passionately declared, underlining the stakes of the ongoing protests.
### Broader Implications: A Growing Movement?
The protest fits into a narrative of growing global dissent against Israel’s government policies and U.S. support. This momentum seemingly