Duffy slams MTA over 'fact check' on anti-Israel mob's Grand Central takeover

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy got into an online exchange with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) after an anti-Israel mob took over Grand Central Station. 

On Monday night, anti-Israel agitators with the group Within Our Lifetime (WOL) protested in the train station's main concourse. The protest took place hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House.

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Duffy condemned the protesters in a post on X, saying it was "disgusting" to see "antisemitic mobs shutting down transit centers." He also called for the organizers to be held accountable.

The MTA disputed the claim in a comment on the secretary's post and said, "Grand Central Terminal was never shut down and service was not affected." The statement was attributed to MTA Chief of Security Michael Kemper. However, online video and one of the protest organizers say otherwise.

Kemper also sent a statement to Fox News Digitial in response to a request for comment:

"Clearly Duffy is wrong - again. There was no impact to service as Grand Central Terminal remained open and 100% of Metro-North Railroad trains were on-time. The Terminal has 24 entrances and exits from street-level. During intermittent periods for minutes at a time, the NYPD and MTAPD strategically closed certain doors temporarily out of the hundreds of doors throughout the terminal to prevent additional demonstrators from entering."

"The MTA has planned for, managed, and effectively responded to demonstrations dozens of times since October 7, 2023, in partnership with the NYPD, who were closely monitoring and traveling with this specific group of demonstrators. While a large group was prevented from entering this week by the NYPD and MTAPD, some entered the concourse, where after breaking Terminal rules they were ordered to depart or face arrest, and most were successfully removed without incident. NYPD and MTAPD made multiple arrests from this group.

"The MTA's collaboration with the NYPD, which manages these demonstrations as they move around the city, has been successful. We're mystified that Secretary Duffy continues to attack the work of the NYPD on a regular basis."

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WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani said in her own X post, "NYPD shut down multiple entrances" at Grand Central during the protest as demonstrators "brought the heart of NYC to a halt."

Kiswani also detailed the group's history of demonstrating in Grand Central, saying that in the past they did not need permits or arrests and that there were "no lockdowns."

In response to the MTA's "fact check," Duffy wrote, "Service was not affected? Tell that to the Jewish Americans who feared for their lives while this went on. This is why no one trusts the MTA to keep them safe anymore."

Duffy also called on the MTA to condemn the "antisemitic mob," adding that not doing so was "enabling this harassment."

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Grand Central Station, New York City's iconic train station, has seen a host of anti-Israel protests since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. 

On Oct. 27, 2023, just 20 days after Hamas' massacre, anti-Israel protesters flooded Grand Central, forcing it to shut down. The demonstrators were demanding a ceasefire and unfurled a banner that read, "mourn for the dead, and fight like hell for the living."

"It's disappointing that this group elected to stage a protest that interfered with New Yorkers getting home from work and otherwise going about their business," the MTA wrote in a statement on Oct. 27, 2023.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Transportation Department regarding the exchange and the protest that took place on April 7, 2025.