A GROUP of Pro-Palestine protestors have been arrested after they jumped a barrier onto Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade route and glued their hands to the street.
Over a dozen activists momentarily interrupted the parade route on West 55th Street and Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan just before 11 am on Thursday.
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Photos showed around 30 activists holding a banner that read “Genocide then, Genocide Now,” “Free Palestine,” and “Land Back” in the middle of the parade’s path as the McDonald’s mascots were making their way through the route.
On other parts along the parade route, more protestors reportedly jumped the barricades, ran into the street, and glued their hands to the ground, according to ABC New York.
The move prompted New York City police officers to divert the balloons and the rest of the parade around the protestors.
The spectators who were lined up to witness the parade were heard booing the group as police gathered the activists and removed them from the scene.
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The New York City Police Department confirmed to The U.S. Sun an unknown number of protestors were arrested.
It’s unclear if the activists will face charges.
THE SHOW GOES ON
Despite the hiccup, Macy’s parade continued along its route, where it will conclude at the company’s flagship store on Herald Square.
The tradition featured 25 giant balloons and live performances from 18 singers, with iconic singer Cher closing the parade.
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The lineup of entertainers also featured Brandy, Chicago, Bell Biv DeVoe, En Vogue, Jessie James Decker, ENHYPHEN, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Ashley Park with the Muppets of Sesame Street cast, Pentatonix, Paul Russell, Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith, and Jon Batiste, who kicked off the event.
This year’s festivities are co-hosted by Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker.
INCREASED SECURITY PRESENCE
Concerns about antisemitic protests across the United States have spiked since the start of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel groups have clashed throughout the nation in cities and college campuses in the month following Hamas’ attack against Israel on October 7.
Antisemitic incidents across the US have risen by about 400 percent in the weeks after the war broke out, according to the advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The group’s center on extremism said preliminary data showed that over half of the 312 reported US antisemitic incidents from October 7 to October 23, including harassment, vandalism, and assault, were linked to the war.
“When conflict erupts in Israel, antisemitic incidents soon follow in the U.S. and globally,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Reuters.
New York City beefed up its security ahead of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade amid the ongoing war and after a car explosion along the US-Canada border on Wednesday.
“We’re going to continue to be out in full force,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
“Chief Maddrey and his team will make sure we have the right manpower that’s here, and we’re going to continue to monitor all the chatter that’s taking place to ensure that people can enjoy the holiday.”
President Joe Biden urged national unity and decency in a phone call with NBC during coverage of Thursday’s parade.
“Today is about coming together,” Biden told NBC’s Al Roker.
“We can have different political views, but we should focus on dealing with our problems. And stop the rancor.”
The car explosion in Niagara Falls, New York, sparked fears of a terrorist attack a day before the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
The vehicle, which appeared to be heading toward Canada from the American side, hurtled toward Rainbow Bridge before crashing into a checkpoint building at a high rate of speed before going up in a ball of fire.
The two people in the car, described as a western New York man and a woman, died during the explosion, and a Border Patrol officer was also injured, officials said.
Surveillance video released by US Customs and Border Protection shows the white car accelerating around a corner toward the border and going airborne in the moments before it crashed into a Customs and Border Patrol facility.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the car flew over an eight-foot fence.
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Debris from the vehicle could be seen flying through the air moments after the flames began, and clouds of thick black smoke billowed from the scene.
The identity of the driver and passenger and the possible motive behind the crash have not been revealed.
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