More than 30 people were arrested after pro-Palestinian demonstrators jumped police barricades and glued themselves to the street Thursday morning, interrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, police say.
Of the 34 arrests, 30 demonstrators were issued a criminal summons for trespassing, and four people were arrested for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstructing governmental administration, according to the NYPD.
The protest broke out at Sixth Avenue and W. 45th Street at 10 a.m., around 90 minutes after the parade began, but there was no significant disruption to the parade, police said.
Earlier on Thursday, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden called into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast on NBC, where they urged unity.
Asked about his message given divisions in the country, Biden said: “We have to come together. You know, we can have different political views but we have one view. And the one view is that we are the finest, the greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that. We should focus on dealing with our problems and being together.”
Since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel and Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza, large crowds of people have organized and gathered at rallies across the US, to chant and march, expressing frustration, sadness and solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis over the war between Israel and Hamas.
