Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

New York Police arrested at least 20 protesters on Thursday after they interrupted the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the heart of New York City, according to the Associated Press. Footage showed over a dozen protesters in rain ponchos entering the street with Palestinian flags and a banner reading phrases including “Don’t Celebrate Genocide” while chanting “Liberation for Palestine and planet.” The group sat in the middle of the street with linked arms, blocking the Ronald McDonald float.

How many were arrested? Police have not confirmed the total number of protesters arrested or the charges they received. WORLD reached out to the New York Police Department but as of Thursday afternoon had not yet received a response. Mayor Eric Adams held a Wednesday press conference assuring that no one would be allowed to disrupt the parade. With the heightened police presence, officers will stop anyone trying to stop the parade just like last year, he said.

About 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested during Macy’s 2023 Thanksgiving Parade after blocking the same McDonald’s float with a banner reading “Genocide Then, Genocide Now.”