Protesters Demand New York Times Retract Controversial Article, Fire Nicholas Kristof

Protesters gathered Thursday, May 14, 2026, outside The New York Times building in New York City to express outrage over an opinion piece by liberal columnist Nicholas Kristof that contained allegations of serial sexual abuse by Israelis against Palestinian detainees. The piece included testimony of men and women alleging “brutal sexual abuse at the hands of Israel’s prison guards, soldiers, settlers and interrogators,” including the unsubstantiated claim that police dogs had been coached to assault detainees. The article drew immediate backlash from readers and the Israeli government, which has threatened a lawsuit against The Times.

Some commentators called the piece into question, noting that several figures interviewed by Kristof had ties to Hamas or anti-Israel activism. Protesters stood inside NYPD barricades holding signs that read “Shame on The New York Times for publishing anti-Zionist libels” and “The New York Times: All the blood libel that’s fit to print,” chanting for a retraction. Many carried Israeli and American flags. One organizer, Jayne Zirkle of The Lawfare Project, said the timing of the piece was deliberate.

“They published a slanderous article against Israel, and they did this just a day before the October 7th rape report came out,” Zirkle said. “They want to take away from the horrible sexual abuse that the October 7th victims endured, and we are demanding retraction. We’re demanding better journalism.” Adam Louis-Klein, founder of the Movement Against Anti-Zionism, argued the piece painted Israelis as uniquely barbaric and endangered Jews globally. “It’s a racist, defamatory libel. It’s meant to make all Israelis look evil and bestial,” he said. Canine behavior expert Michael S. Gould called the central claim “absurd.”

(FOX/VFI News)

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” – Exodus 20:16