Protesters shut it down for Palestine at NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

New York, New York - The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City saw powerful demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine on Thursday.

Activists stage a protest in the middle of the street during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, calling for Palestinian liberation and climate protections.
Activists stage a protest in the middle of the street during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, calling for Palestinian liberation and climate protections.  © IMAGO / TheNews2

Several protesters jumped the barricades and attempted to block the parade on Sixth Avenue near West 45th St. about 10 AM. Some appeared to have glued their hands to the asphalt.

Floats, marching bands, and the parade’s iconic balloons were navigating around the protesters as cops moved in to make arrests.

Protestors clad in white jumpsuits, some emblazoned with the words "Colonialism," "Militarism," and "Ethnic Cleansing" poured fake blood on one another and the roadway, videos posted online shows. Others held a banner reading "Liberation for Palestine and Planet."

"In an urgent call to action, Seven Circles Alliance, a coalition of climate, social justice and political activists, disrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to bring attention to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians," the group wrote on Instagram. "Seven Circles demands that the United States cease its support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine and calls for both the United States and Israel to recognize the ICC (International Criminal Court). Confronting the issues of capitalism, along with colonialism and imperialism, head-on is urgently required by environmental and social justice groups, as well as everything in between."

Cops hauled the protestors off the parade route, but police could not immediately confirm how many people were arrested.

Footage of representatives of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe waving a Palestinian flag on their float also went viral on social media as a powerful display of Indigenous support for Palestinian freedom.

Cover photo: IMAGO / TheNews2

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