Bay Ridge activist joins CAIR in condemning police brutality during anti-Israel protests

February 6, 2025 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, to protest Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and push for an independent and free Palestine. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Share this:

BAY RIDGE — NERDEEN KISWANI, leader of the anti-Zionist group Within Our Lifetime, has joined the Council on American Islamic Relations in condemning the city for alleged police brutality during an October 2023 anti-Israel protest in Bay Ridge.

According to CAIR, the group has filed a lawsuit that seeks to rectify alleged civil rights abuses that occurred during the “Flood Brooklyn for Palestine” protests. Over 5,000 people attended the protest to voice their support for Palestine and opposition to Israel, resulting in clashes with law enforcement.

“We’ve been holding rallies in Bay Ridge and for Palestinian liberation for nearly a decade,” said Kiswani in a CAIR New York Instagram video. “The Palestinian community… have a right to come out and say, enough is enough, that we will not be complicit in our government’s aiding and abetting of war crimes in our nation,” adding, “And it’s clear that the Eric Adams administration, which has close ties with the Israeli government and the Israeli military, wants to chill these rights by brutalizing these protesters.”

Within Our Lifetime is a Bay Ridge-based group that advocates for the Palestinian cause, and has attracted controversy for its extreme stances. The Jerusalem Post describes Kiswani as having anti-Jewish sentiments and as a supporter of Palestinian terror operations, over comments made after the Oct. 7 attacks supporting Palestinian resistance “by any means necessary,” as well as other remarks attacking “Zionists around the world.” Kiswani has said she has no bias against Jews, disputes the characterization of Palestinian militant groups as terrorists, and has called the Gaza strip a concentration camp, describing its leaders’ actions as legitimate resistance to oppression.

✰✰✰