The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City experienced a brief interruption when around 30 pro-Palestinian protesters entered the street and seemingly glued themselves to the parade route’s pavement.
The demonstrators were marching along Sixth Avenue when a few among them jumped over the barricades and ran onto the street near 49th Street.
Approximately 30 individuals, protesting the Gaza situation, interrupted the parade around 11am, as per reports.
The protestors wore white outfits with phrases like “colonialism”, “imperialism”, and “consumerism”, and then doused each other in simulated blood.
While proceeding down Sixth Avenue alongside grand float exhibits, they voiced support for Palestine with chants like “There’s an ongoing genocide and our planet is dying” and “We need a ceasefire”.
New York Police rapidly responded to detain the protestors, while the parade maneuvered around the scene. The parade’s floats, balloons, and bands rerouted to avoid the police encircling the glued protestors.
One protestor informed the police of their inability to move due to being glued. Spectators reacted with boos during the activists’ arrest.
Others, not in white outfits but wearing “Stop the Genocide” shirts and holding a banner reading “Genocide then. Genocide now”, entered the parade, though their affiliation with the initial group was uncertain.
Reportedly, these demonstrators were part of a larger, 400-person protest at Madison Square Park. During the parade, a Palestinian flag was displayed on the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s float.
Heightened security was noted at this year’s Thanksgiving Parade and elsewhere in the United States. This increased vigilance follows a rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism, particularly since the Israel-Hamas conflict began.
New York Mayor Eric Adams, on Wednesday, emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards violent protests, insisting on the protection of people and property.
President Joe Biden highlighted the importance of unity and decency, especially on Thanksgiving, urging an end to hostility and a focus on resolving issues.
