A 16-year-old protester, accused of vandalizing a World War I memorial during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Central Park, has been apprehended by the police after his own father turned him in. The arrest took place on Thursday night, following the protest on Monday where the words “Gaza” and “Free Palestine” were scribbled onto the base of the 107th Infantry Memorial. The New York Post reported that the teenager now faces a felony charge of criminal mischief in the third degree, as well as a misdemeanor charge of making graffiti. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry expressed his outrage over the incident on X, stating, “The despicable vandalism we witnessed earlier this week on the WWI Memorial will not be ignored, and will not go unpunished.” Accompanying his post was a picture of the teenager, with his face blurred out, in handcuffs. Daughtry further emphasized, “This is not simply juvenile mischief – it is an act of desecration that undermines the freedoms our heroes fought and died for.”
Father reports teenager from Gaza for allegedly vandalizing WWI memorial
