Anti-Israel thugs and demonstrators raged in Manhattan on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, disrupting the festivities and trying to “cancel” New York City’s Christian celebration. The pro-Hamas crowd fought the police, resulting in injuries and arrests. It also cast a pall over New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square.
On Christmas Eve, a pro-Palestinian caravan circled Washington Square Park where New Yorkers were gathered for the annual carol celebration. The cars in the line, including a “FREE PALESTINE”, custom-painted lifted SUV, honked horns, and blared music to disrupt this joyous, unifying event. Carolers responded to the protesters by singing louder.
The protestors stepped it up on Christmas Day. A few hundred protestors descended upon midtown Manhattan. They mobbed Rockefeller Center and disrupted tourists, as well as celebrants and public property.
#NOW Pro-Palestine Protesters March circling Rockefeller Christmas Tree in NYC demanding “All Out on Christmas for Gaza”.
Video by Kevin RC Wilson [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/3EkYTdx3ND
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) December 25, 2023
The New York Post reports that “a few scuffles broke in the crowd, including outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This sent cops running into the mob.” According to law enforcement sources, “at least six arrests were reported later near Grand Central Station, Union Square, and the police clashed with protesters.”
Social media was flooded with videos of the rioting:
🚨#BREAKING: NYPD Calls for Level Three Mobilization Amidst Numerous Fights Between Pro-Palestine Protesters and Police at a Large Protest⁰
📌#Manhattan l #NewYorkCurrently, the New York Police Department has requested a Level Three mobilization for a large protest that is… pic.twitter.com/j2ZAUvERF3
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 25, 2023
As the dust settles after the uncivil attacks against one of the largest Christian celebrations in the year, everyone’s attention turns to the upcoming New Year’s Eve festivities.
ABC’s chief justice reporter Pierre Thomas reported on Friday that “just days before the iconic New York Times Square ball drop, top law enforcement officials are on high alert and warning that America faces perhaps its highest level of threat since 9/11.” ABC News obtained a new threat assessment that says the area is a target for violent extremists and foreign terrorist groups.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is fueling the constant rise in threats. Thomas said that the FBI has “100 active full-scale investigations tied to this conflict”.
ABC News reported that the FBI had received over 1,800 reports since October 7 of threats, tips, or leads relating to or having some connection to the conflict currently taking place in Israel or Gaza.
Viral News NYC is an independent journalist account that was posted late on Christmas Day. It claimed that the NYPD has been tracking intelligence indicating that the anti-Israel mob had big plans for the Christmas ball drop.
I’m just in from an anonymous source at the NYPD .
Pro hamas and Pro Palestinians protesters and rioters are planning to riot on New Years Eve in NYC. My source stated that the rioters are planning to stress out the cities resources. Keep in mind every new year’s the threat…— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) December 26, 2023
A request for additional information from the NYPD regarding the current situation has not been answered as of the publication date. This article will be updated if a response comes in. Even without the FBI or NYPD telling them so, anyone can tell that there is a potential for trouble in Times Square on New Year’s Eve from anti-Israel, pro-Hamas extremists.
It would be great if the FBI used its enhanced domestic terror-hunting abilities to track down and arrest the people who are organizing this unrest and funding it.