Chaos erupted outside the United Nations General Assembly in New York City as multiple protests broke out, snarling traffic across Midtown. Demonstrators ranged from anti-Israel and pro-Hamas groups to anti-Trump activists and opponents of Iran’s human rights abuses to protests about climate change. Police made more than 60 arrests by the end of Tuesday.
Anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protesters carried signs that read “Abolish Israel," “F–k Israel Lane,” “Abolish Israel,” and “Israel has no soul.” Demonstrators even wore and carried symbols of U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas insignia. Increased pressure has been put on the UN to decry Israel's war in Gaza as a genocide. The United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Portugal, and Belgium officially recognized an official state of Palestine, shortly before the UN General Assembly.
Other protesters took aim at President Trump shortly before his address to the UN General Assembly, chanting “No Trump! No fascist USA!” while waving signs that read “Reject Trump,” “Arrest Trump,” and “Trump is the Emergency.”
Dozens of protesters in New York near the UN stepped off sidewalks, screaming “Trump is the emergency,” blocking traffic and intersections.
— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) September 23, 2025
They were told to move. They refused.
Around a dozen were arrested for ignoring lawful commands.
Stop calling that peaceful. It was… pic.twitter.com/Q7h0dTXvGH
Many of these protesters bled into the street, blocking traffic, prompting the NYPD to begin cuffing protesters and herding them onto buses to be taken to the NYPD's headquarters. They continued to chant and shout as they were arrested.
A climate-activist group, called Extinction Rebellion, was also demonstrating and disrupting traffic near one of the main checkpoints for the UN General Assembly. Matthew Menzies, the group’s organizer, told the NY Post, "We did this because we believe the world deserves better."
“The United Nations has been working for years trying to address climate change, and they have consistently, particularly the superpowers, global superpowers have consistently failed to meet those goals, to meet sustainability needs,” Menzies said. “And right now, the world is on fire. The people need our help."
“I don’t really know what’s happening in there. Maybe one day, I’ll get to work in there, and I’ll be able to figure it out a little bit better,” he continued.
One of the few demonstrations of a legitimate cause came from a group protesting against the Iranian regime, where protesters demanded the release of more than a dozen prisoners sentenced to death. One sign read, “Stand with the voice of 15 innocent youth in Iran facing execution.”