Hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators stormed the lobby of the Museum of Modern Art with banners reading "Free Palestine, From the River to the Sea," "Ceasefire Now," and "Cultural Workers Stand with Gaza." They also accused members of the institution's board of trustees of funding "genocide, apartheid," and "settler colonialism." This was reported by the art magazine ARTnews.
The demonstrators handed out pamphlets accusing members of the museum's board of trustees. The printed statement said "While MoMA purports ideologies of 'change' and 'creativity,' the Board of Trustees directly fund Zionist occupation via arms manufacturing, lobbying, and corporate investment. At the same time, the museum derives its legitimacy from artists and cultural workers, including those actively engaged in anti-colonial struggle."
The primary accusations were directed at board members Leon Black and Larry Fink. Black is the founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which owns a defense and security company. Fink is the CEO of multinational investment corporation BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, with $9.42 billion in assets. Fink's corporation has previously faced criticism for its investments in arms and defense.
The Writers organized the protest at MoMA Against the War on Gaza and the New York chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement. Estimates of the crowd of protestors at the Museum of Modern Art ranged from "more than 500" to "more than 800" people.
On Sunday, Within Our Lifetime, a grassroots Palestinian-led community organization, held a protest at the Brooklyn Museum.
