NYPD arrests 34 pro-Palestinian protesters at Macy’s Parade

New York police have arrested 34 demonstrators at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade protesting Israeli killings of civilians in Gaza, authorities said Friday.

The parade, which featured demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting, was briefly halted when some demonstrators, dressed in white jumpsuits smeared with fake blood, tried to glue their hands to the sidewalk. The action was just one of a series of demonstrations over Thanksgiving, with protesters across the country demanding a permanent ceasefire.

Four of the protesters face a range of charges, including intimidation, obstruction of government administration and resisting arrest. Thirty were issued summonses for trespassing and disorderly conduct along the parade route.

Activists painted the words “Free Palestine” on the outside of the main branch of the New York Public Library and accompanied the message with handprints in red paint. Police said the investigation into the vandalism, which they described as criminal mischief, is ongoing.

The protests came amid increasing global attention on the Israeli bombings, which were carried out in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel. More than ten times as many people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the region’s health ministry.

Earlier this week, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire, and dozens of hostages were released from Gaza on Friday in exchange for the release of dozens more Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

But the silence did little to dampen the mood in New York on Thursday, where the parade was interrupted drew cheers of people gathering to see the event’s signature floats and balloons.

A day later, demonstrators showed up again in several cities for a series of actions aimed at disrupting the Black Friday shopping holiday.

In New York, large crowds of protesters marched from Washington Square Park to Herald Square. The protest was largely peaceful and a police spokesperson said there were no arrests.