Pro-Palestinian protesters are marching through New York City on New Years Eve after Mayor Eric Adams said he had the NYPD prepared to step up security ahead of celebrations in Times Square.
Groups had expressed intentions to protest in Times Square against Israel‘s military campaign in the Gaza Strip having already disrupted the Thanksgiving Day Parade and lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
At Macy’s in Herald Square, at least one demonstrator set off a bright red smoke bomb and were allowed to take a lap around the famous department store before being escorted out.
At least one group was spotted marching from 59th Street all the way down to 45th and 5th Avenue, just a block away from where the ball will drop at midnight.
The marchers were singing the infamous ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ chant that has been decried as anti-Semitic by members of both parties in Congress, as well as the Anti-Defamation League.
Pro-Palestinian protesters are marching through New York City on New Years Eve after Mayor Eric Adams said he had the NYPD prepared to step up security ahead of celebrations in Times Square
The protesters – suggested to be as many as 3,000 by one reporter were also re-iterating the left-wing calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Multiple protesters targeted Bronx Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, an ardent pro-Israel Congressman.
‘Ritchie Torres: blood on your hands! Stop funding genocide!’ and ‘Money for the Bronx, not for war’ declared two signs.
The ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and heightened tensions in parts of the world, are affecting this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in a myriad of ways.
The group Shut it Down for Palestine appeared to be behind at least some of the protests on Sunday.
An announcement on their website stated: ‘We must keep building momentum and increase the pressure with more marches, walk-outs, sit-ins, and other forms of direct action directed at the political offices, businesses, and workplaces that fund, invest, and collaborate with Israeli genocide and occupation.’
Their march was part of their demand for ‘an international call to action’ for Palestinians during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
At Columbus Circle in Manhattan, several demonstrators were seen chanting pro-Houthi sentiments.
A police spokesperson told DailyMail.com no protest-related arrests had been made yet Sunday when we reached out to the NYPD late Sunday evening
Many cities were deploying extra security, and some places cancelled New Year’s Eve events altogether with marches happening across the country.
In New Jersey, a 180-car caravan under the banner of ‘Wheels of Palestine’ drove from Paterson to Teaneck, which was declared ‘the most Jewish city in New Jersey’ by Haaretz in 2018.
In Chicago, protesters shut down the I-90 and I-94 after marching down Michigan Avenue, according to Fox 32.
Roadways in the California capital of Sacramento were also shut down due to protests, KCRA reported.
Amid near-daily protests in New York sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, police said they would expand the security perimeter around the party, creating a ‘buffer zone’ which will allow them to head off potential demonstrations.
Multiple protesters targeted Bronx Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, an ardent pro-Israel Congressman
The ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and heightened tensions in parts of the world, are affecting this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in a myriad of ways
The group Shut it Down for Palestine appeared to be behind at least some of the protests on Sunday
‘We will be out here with our canines, on horseback, our helicopters, our boats,’ Adams said.
Although there were no identified security threats associated with the celebrations held in the heart of Manhattan, the New York Police Department (NYPD) are taking precautions.
Mayor Adams, together with top NYPD officials held a press conference on Friday afternoon stressing their continued vigilance due to previous incidents, such as an attack on NYPD officers during last year’s Times Square ball drop.
‘There are no specific threats to the city, but as we saw last year, you don’t have to have a specific threat to get a threat, and we’re going to be ready,’ the mayor said.
‘Hundreds of thousands of people will be out here lined up, and no matter how often we see it, you never get used to it, the excitement remains over and over again,’ he said.
Officials will also monitor protests with drones, he added. ‘But as we saw last year, after having no specific threats, we get a threat.’
During last year’s New Year’s Eve party, a machete-wielding man attacked three police officers a few blocks from Times Square.
Times Square has been closed off from around 12 pm on New Year’s Eve and those who want to get into the area have to go through police checkpoints and security screenings.
Although there were no identified security threats associated with the celebrations held in the heart of Manhattan, the New York Police Department (NYPD) are taking precautions
Officials will also monitor protests with drones, Adams added. ‘But as we saw last year, after having no specific threats, we get a threat’
It comes after the protestors, who are calling for a ceasefire as 21,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fight between Israel and Hamas, disrupted all of the city’s major celebrations and parades since the October attacks.
Assistant Chief John Hart highlighted the department’s readiness for groups of varying sizes and points of origin for the protests.
Other pro-Palestine protests in the city over the past couple months have drawn between 1,000 and 5,000 people.
‘We’re prepared for them in any number,’ Hart said. ‘We’re prepared for different groups from different places, and we will make sure this event stays safe.’
Adams, a Democrat, admitted that it was likely that protesters would attempt to cause disruption in Times Square where more than a million people were expected to gather to celebrate at midnight.
One protester, Katie Unger, referenced the preparation for the celebration in a post on X as she marched a few days ago.
‘They are setting up to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square. We are here to insist that the people of Gaza and Palestine too have the right to a thriving living peaceful new year.’
The Times Square Alliance has teamed up with the NYPD, private security firms and federal authorities to keep the area safe.
Mayor Eric Adams said security is being stepped up for New Year’s Eve at Times Square in New York City
The NYPD is placing thousands of police officers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, both in uniform and plain clothes, to prevent any interruptions. Last year’s celebrations are pictured
Street closures on New Years Even will start as early as 4am with later roads closing at 11am
Even tighter security will be in force close to the Times Square area
‘Like any fine Broadway show, we rehearse everything to make sure there are no problems for opening night,’ said Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance.
Its president Tom Harris said: ‘If you’re going to come and try to disrupt the event, you’re probably not gonna be successful, and if you are, you’re going to be arrested.
‘So stay home and protest someplace else.’
On Wednesday, police arrested pro-Palestinian protesters that blocked entry to New York City‘s John F. Kennedy airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Travelers were forced to get out of their cars and walk to the airport with their luggage in New York after activist demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war blocked the road leading to one of the country’s biggest and busiest airports.
Video shows protesters joined hands to create a line blocking traffic while holding signs calling for a free Palestine and chanting ‘From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.’
Port Authority Police are seen arresting the demonstrators and loading them onto an airport bus and taking them into custody.
Thousands of police officers together with a combination of robots, drones and detection dog sare expected to patrol the Times Square area to ensure the safety of the event.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a New Year’s Eve security briefing in Times Square on Friday
The New York City Police Department is ramping up security for the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square over fears Pro-Palestine protestors are set to disrupt it
Protestors, dressed in black and holding shrouded dolls, perform a silent demonstration for children killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza
It comes after the protestors, who are calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas , disrupted the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Police arrested 26 pro-Palestinian protesters that blocked entry to New York City ‘s John F. Kennedy airport on Wednesday – one of the busiest travel days of the year
‘We’re going to have tow trucks strategically parked along the actual New Year’s Eve festivities, and we’re going to have drones deployed around the outer perimeter so we can monitor the protests, potential protests that are coming in real time,’ added Assistant NYPD Commissioner Kaz Daughtry.
With crowds of celebrants expected to pack into Times Square for the festivities, even the smallest details can’t be overlooked, said Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment.
That includes the 2-by-2 inch slips of paper that will flutter to the ground at the stroke of midnight on Sunday.
‘This is a whole process,’ Straus said. ‘We got to feel the confetti. We got to fluff it up. We got to make sure it’s going to float.’
While the test may have been more promotional than practical, the actual New Year’s confetti release – which has been part of the event since 1992 – remains a labor-intensive operation.
Confetti is released during a confetti test ahead of New Year’s Eve in Times Square on Friday
Confetti is released during a test ahead of New Year´s Eve in Times Square on Friday
An estimated 3,000 pounds of confetti are trucked into midtown Manhattan each year, then carried to rooftops of office buildings overlooking Times Square.
About a hundred volunteer ‘dispersal engineers’ then drop the haul on the street below to ring in the new year.
Beyond the confetti, a flurry of other preparations were underway for the celebration, which runs from 6pm on Sunday night until after midnight.
Sitting behind the ‘2024’ light display that arrived this week, the glittering crystal ball was set to undergo its own test drop on Saturday.