Pro-Palestinian Protesters Briefly Halt Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

A small group of protesters who held Palestinian flags and anti-genocide posters briefly halted this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

The group — which has not been identified —  jumped the protective barriers at W. 55th Street and Sixth Avenue where they sat on the ground and chanted “Free Palestine.” The group blocked the large Ronald McDonald float. Posters on the ground read “Don’t celebrate genocide” and “Arms embargo now.” 

NYPD officers quickly broke up the protest. WABC reports that twenty-one protesters were arrested and are currently in custody. Videos of the brief protest were quickly uploaded to social media. 

This is the second year protesters holding Palestinian flags and anti-genocide posters have halted the parade. Last year, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters jumped the barricades and glued themselves to Sixth Avenue. During last year’s parade, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts float also held up a Palestinian flag.

Speaking at a pre-Thanksgiving event on Wednesday, New York City mayor warned protesters to stay clear of the parade, describing any groups plotting on the event as “grinches.” 

“I really want to take the moment to tell those grinches that believe they are going to disrupt the parade that it is not going to happen,” Adams said. “Just like how we responded last year, we are going to be on top of those who attempt to interrupt the parade in any way possible.”

In one of the first major moves towards ending the violence in the Middle East, a ceasefire has been agreed to end 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Joe Biden announced the deal on Wednesday afternoon.

“Effective at 04:00 tomorrow local time (02:00 GMT on Wednesday), the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end,” Biden said. He added that the deal aimed to be a “permanent cessation of hostilities.” 

The ceasefire started overnight on Wednesday as planned. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, however, continues where at least 44,330 people have been killed and 104,933 wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.