Anti-Israel Activists Shut Down Macy’s Day Parade by Blocking Roadway
At least one protester was seen screaming at a random parade attendee on the sidewalk.
Anti-Israel protesters temporarily halted the famous Macy’s Day parade in New York on Thursday to demand an arms embargo on the Jewish state. The demonstrators were later dragged from the scene by police.
On Thursday morning as the rain poured, demonstrators wearing ponchos, rain jackets, and masks sat in the middle of the parade route just ahead of the Ronald McDonald balloon. They held a large banner that said, “Don’t celebrate genocide!” and “Arms embargo now!”
The group of about 20 protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine!” before officers moved in on them, pinning them to the ground and putting them in handcuffs. As they sat in the street, some in the crowd who assembled in the dismal weather to watch the parade began to boo.
The New York Post first reported that at least 21 arrests were made as a result of the demonstration. The Post’s headline read: “Send in the Clowns” with a photograph of the Ronald McDonald balloon looming in the background.
In one video shared online by Freedom News, one protester is seen yelling at a random passerby: “Free Palestine, motherf–er!” The random man in the crowd responded, “This is America! Get the f–k out of here!”
Other social media users were quick to condemn and even mock the demonstration.
“For the umpteenth time: These people aren’t trying to win you over to the Palestinian side; they’re just attacking you,” wrote political commentator Jake Novak.
“Blocking the Thanksgiving parade won’t bring peace to Gaza. Pressuring Hamas might,” wrote the Democratic Majority for Israel on X.
This is the second time in as many years that anti-Israel protesters have interrupted the iconic Macy’s Day parade, though last year it was more of a spectacle. Several individuals, wearing white jumpsuits, laid down in the middle of the parade route to protest the then-one-month old Israeli counteroffensive at Gaza. Many glued their hands to the pavement and chanted their typical slogans.
“Free Palestine! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” one of the protesters yelled.
Those who wore the white jumpsuits also doused themselves in some kind of red paint or red-stained water to mimic blood.
