In close proximity to Rockefeller Center’s annual tree lighting ceremony, the New York City Police Department made several arrests on Wednesday evening. Following a gathering outside the News Corp building at 47th and 6th, a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, numbering in the hundreds, displayed a large flag and briefly attempted to move north toward the tree. However, a line of police and barricades impeded their progress. When the group reversed direction, there were altercations, scuffles, and subsequent arrests. The demonstrators then proceeded southbound on 6th Avenue, moving away from the event.
In anticipation of the tree lighting ceremony, the NYPD had announced a “heavy security presence” to ensure the safety of all attendees. Prior to the event, the police counterterrorism officials in New York issued a threat assessment advisory, warning of potential disruptions due to protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. This confidential document followed a disturbance caused by demonstrators during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade the previous week.
During the parade, individuals in white jumpsuits breached barricades, temporarily halting the procession. They splashed fake blood and attempted to affix their hands to the pavement in a disruptive manner. Videos posted online depicted them holding Palestinian flags and signs reading “genocide then, genocide now,” while shouting “Viva, viva Palestina.” The NYPD arrested 34 individuals in connection with the Thanksgiving Day incident, charging them with offenses such as harassment, obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespass, and disorderly conduct.
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The threat assessment also highlighted a similar disruption on November 24, where individuals protesting Israeli actions in Gaza interrupted a tree-lighting ceremony in Seattle.