Pro-Palestinian Protesters Try to Crash NYC Tree Lighting

NYPD kept demonstrators away from holiday event, with a 'handful' of arrests made
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 30, 2023 6:11 AM CST
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Try to Crash NYC Tree Lighting
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit on Wednesday in New York.   (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Thousands converged on New York City's Rockefeller Center on a frigid Wednesday night to get close to the annual Christmas tree lighting—among them, a throng of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in support of Gaza. WABC reports that at least 500 protesters rallied outside the News Corp. building at 47th Street and Sixth Avenue for about an hour, then tried to work their way north to the tree lighting site, where they were met by police patrols and barricades. That's when some scuffles broke out, leading to a "handful" of arrests. The lighting of the 12-ton, 80-foot Norway spruce itself, hosted by singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson, went off with no issues, per the AP.

ABC News reports that the NYPD had issued a warning ahead of the tree lighting that protests tied to the Israel-Hamas war might break out, noting that the US "continues to face a heightened and dynamic risk environment from a variety of extremists." The warning went on that "malicious actors may view mass gatherings, iconic locations, and high-profile events as targets of opportunity during the holiday season." The New York Post notes that the tree lighting took place on the same day as the UN-recognized International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. (More Christmas tree stories.)

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