Pro-Palestine protests shut down MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City abruptly closed after hundreds of pro-Palestine protestors took over the building.

Hundreds of demonstrators then staged a sit-in in the gallery’s atrium space, chanting “Free, Free, Palestine,”

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City shuttered its doors on Saturday after hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters took over the gallery for a sit-in display.

Pro-Palestine NYers, including artists & cultural workers, are occupying MoMa now & demanding the museum take a stand against genocide & apartheid starting with the immediate removal of board members Ronald S. Lauder, Paula Crown, Marie-Josée Kravis, Leon Black, & Larry Fink. pic.twitter.com/zrLD6A5WBA

— Ash J (@AshAgony) February 10, 2024

The demonstration, co-organised by several activist groups, kicked off at 3:30pm local time on Saturday, February 10, as reported by the local online arts magazine Hyperallergic.

Organisers distributed over 1,000 custom-printed mock museum guides that called for the removal of five of the museum’s Board of Trustees members — Leon Black, Larry Fink, Paula Crown, Marie-Josée, and Ronald S. Lauder — for their alleged financial ties to Israeli military efforts.

Mock museum brochures handed out by protesters at the MoMa. Picture: X/@SarahRomani

Hundreds of demonstrators then staged a sit-in in the gallery’s atrium space, chanting “Free, Free, Palestine,” while banners — calling for an immediate ceasefire, a free Palestine, and for all prisons to be emptied — were unfurled from the viewing ledges on the third and fifth floors.

Demonstrators unveiled a banner from the second floor of the MoMa. Picture: X/@AshAgony

Another group of demonstrators unveiled a banner from the second floor, directly overlooking the museum’s lobby, that read, “MoMA Trustees Fund Genocide, Apartheid, and Settler Colonialism.”

NOW AT MOMA: PROTESTERS DEMAND DIVESTMENT FROM FUNDERS AIDING GENOCIDE IN GAZA pic.twitter.com/8tWRvwRw4J

— Jason Rosenberg (@mynameisjro) February 10, 2024

Local reports indicate that MoMA security swiftly responded to the unfolding demonstration, closing off the galleries and denying entry to individuals within 15 minutes of the protest kicking off.