New York City successfully held its Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, as thousands gathered in the Big Apple for the event.
However, it was not all smooth sailing - or in this case, floating.
Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the parade on Thursday (November 23) by gluing their hands in the middle of 6th Avenue and covering themselves in fake blood in an attempt to halt the parade.
According to the New York Post, several of the protesters wore white jumpsuits with protest slogans on their chests and backs while chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, such as "Free, free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea...."
It was revealed that the protesters were not just protesting about the liberation of Palestine but also demonstrating for the preservation of the environment, as there was a large sign reading "Liberation for Palestine and Planet."
Another act of protest was recorded while the parade was broadcast on television.
The float from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, was passing Macy's flagship store on 34th Street in midtown Manhattan when a male individual unfurled a small Palestinian flag and raised it above his head, Fox News Digital reported.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have glued their hands to 6th Avenue, disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; floats, bands and balloons are being diverted. pic.twitter.com/nYKLGyev87
— Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) November 23, 2023
Crowds Jeer at Protesters
As the protesters disrupted the parade, spectators jeered them by screaming loud boos.
The group also had other messages - including "militarism," "racism," and "ethnic cleansing" - written across their jumpsuits.
Officers of the New York Police Department (NYPD) attempted to remove the protesters by ungluing their hands and arresting them while voicing out their clamor for a total ceasefire and independence of the state of Palestine.
The NYPD confirmed that several of the protesters were taken into custody but did not provide an exact number.
"It's pissing me off," a parade attendee from Philadelphia named Greg complained. "Do it somewhere else. Not today, they're ruining the parade. They super-glued their hands to the street. These people worked hard to be in this parade."
NYPD has leveled up the security in the parade in anticipation of such disruptions.
Read also: Qatar Says Truce to Begin 07:00 on Nov. 24 - At Least 3 Americans Included in Prisoner Swap
The Protest Continues
Upon the end of the parade, at least 400 protesters gathered at a pre-arranged meeting spot in Madison Square Park before marching toward Macy's in nearby Herald Square, shutting down traffic while chanting "Long Live Intifada" and "American public do you see? Your taxes fund our misery."
The protesters were stopped by police at 6th Avenue and West 31st Street, prompting them to turn west toward Penn Station.
New York Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) called the disruption of the Thanksgiving parade "sick."
"Protesters are disrupting a parade attended by thousands of children?! It's beyond the pale," Dinowitz told the Post. "They are pro-Hamas and anti-Jew. They are for the terrorists."
New York Board of Rabbis executive vice chair Rabbi Joseph Potasnik also said that pro-Palestinian protesters had "no boundaries," intimidating New Yorkers by "[protesting] on the sabbath [and on] Thanksgiving."
"No one at these protests ever seems to condemn Hamas. They fault the victims, not the perpetrators," he added. "History has taught us that hatred starts against the Jews but doesn't end with the Jews."
