New York City is on high alert after a pro-Palestinian group announced plans to “swamp Gaza tree lighting” ahead of the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting.
The 91st Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting takes place Wednesday evening and begins around 7 p.m.
Police urged participants to act with “heightened vigilance” during the annual event after the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime distributed a flyer titled “Flood the tree lighting FOR GAZA” on Monday evening.
The NYPD said it was preparing for possible protests. A large police presence could already be seen by midday, with additional security cordons and officers lining the surrounding streets.
This came just weeks after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, where some people stuck themselves to the ground and at least 34 people were arrested for disorderly conduct.
New York City is on high alert after a pro-Palestinian group announced plans to “swamp Gaza tree lighting” ahead of the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting.
A large police presence could already be seen by midday, with additional security cordons and officers lining the surrounding streets
The Rockefeller Tree Lighting Ceremony is an annual tradition that began in 1933. This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree made the 200-mile journey from upstate New York to the holiday hotspot of Manhattan (Image: 2022 Rockefeller Christmas Tree)
Adding to the evening’s worries is that temperatures are expected to drop to freezing around 7pm, although it will still feel cooler.
Thousands of spectators are expected to stand for hours in the cold to catch a glimpse of the 80-foot-tall spruce tree illuminated with 50,000 lights and to see Kelly Clarkson, who is scheduled to host the event.
In the memo, the NYPD also stated that large events such as tree lightings are targets for “malicious actors” seeking to cause harm during the busy holiday season.
The memo, obtained by the New York Post, found that there were no “specific or credible” threats against the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The authorities added: “A number of foreign terrorist organizations have persistently called for full-scale attacks on US interests since Hamas began its violent attack on Israel on October 7.”
Police made it clear that online propaganda is not substantive enough to pose a threat to the public, but could still “resonate” with “US-based domestic violent extremists.”
The group, also known as Wolpalestine, mentioned that Wednesday is the International Day of Solidarity for the Palestinian Community and has been observed since 1977.
“This year, Jerusalem’s 13 official churches and the community of Bethlehem itself have called for Christmas celebrations to be suspended in mourning over the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the post said.
The pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime released a flyer Monday evening announcing that it would “flood the tree lighting FOR GAZA.”
NYPD officers are seen confronting some of the protesters outside Grand Central Station
Within Our Lifetime has been the leader of many other protests in the Big Apple, having staged a protest outside Grand Central Station on November 10th.
A crowd of masked pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the Grand Central train station on Friday evening, kicking in the door and shattering the glass but failing to make it into the closed station.
As a person with a bull’s horn chanted “We are all Palestinians,” a handful of men tried to break down the doors. There were angry scenes as police tried to remove them from the station.
Grand Central, through which 750,000 people stream daily, was closed that night amid the chaos and New York police warned people to avoid the area.
Recently, the pro-Palestine group released a disturbing map of landmarks in the city that it classified as “direct targets.”
The graphic showed famous buildings and companies in the Big Apple that have ties to Israel or are media companies.
The site that posted the map is called Within Our Lifetime and describes itself as a Palestinian-led community organization that says, “We will liberate Palestine.”
“Each of the locations on this map reflects the location of an office of an enemy of both the Palestinian people and the colonized around the world,” the group stated, according to the New York Post. “Today and beyond, these places will be sites for popular mobilization in defense of our people,” the post said.
The 12-ton tree in New York’s Rockefeller Center is scheduled to be lit on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. and is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators
The NYPD released a memo on the post, saying there were no “specific or credible” threats against the famous tree
The Rockefeller Tree Lighting Ceremony is an annual tradition that began in 1933.
People from all over the world travel and gather to watch the giant, hand-picked Christmas tree appear for the first time this season.
This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree made the 200-mile journey from upstate New York to the holiday hotspot of Manhattan.
The tree – an 80-year-old Norway spruce – arrived at the New York City Plaza on November 11th.
Known for its mesmerizing display of glittering fairy lights, it will soon be adorned with a five-mile-long string of more than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs.
Decorators will complete the festive decorations with the signature Swarovski star with three million crystals, which has graced the Rockefeller Center trees since 2004.
The ceremony is open to the public. Spectator entry points are located at 48th Street and 6th Avenue and 51st Street and 6th Avenue and open at approximately 4:00 p.m.
Additionally, there will be an accessible viewing point at the southwest corner of 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza. The event will also be broadcast on television.
This happened as Fox News Media hosted its fourth annual All-American Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the network’s headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.=
The event benefited the First Responder’s Children’s Foundation and took place during the live broadcast of cable’s top-rated show, The Five
Co-host Dana Perino honored Israel and the Jewish people at the ceremony
This came as Fox News Media hosted its fourth annual All-American Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the network’s headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
The event benefited the First Responder’s Children’s Foundation and took place during the live broadcast of cable’s top-rated show “The Five” with co-hosts Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Judge Jeanine Pirro and Harold Ford Jr.
Perino honored Israel and the Jewish people at the ceremony.
“The holidays always remind us to remember what is most important.” “This year, the Fox family is thinking about Israel and the Jewish people,” she said. “Believe me, we hear you and stand with you.” “It has been a heartbreaking 44 days since Hamas terrorists launched an attack on the people of Israel.”
“More than 200 are still being held hostage, including babies as young as 10 months old.” And we all hope and pray that their families will be able to hug them again soon.”