Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD pledged on Wednesday evening to not tolerate disruptions when it comes to potential protests at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Despite the investigation surrounding a fatal car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge leading into Canada, police and Mayor Adams say the Big Apple is not currently facing any specific or credible threats of terrorism when it comes to Thursday’s large parade crowds. However, top department brass said they plan on beefing up security due to possible protests. Several reports have indicated that protesters over the Israel-Hamas war will attempt to impede the floats, something Adams harshly cautioned against while visiting the parade site.
“We are not going to tolerate any disruptions, we’re very keen on that. We are not going to destroy property, we are not going to injure people, that is not going to happen in this city,” Hizzoner told amNewYork Metro.
The NYPD say they have been on high alert since the conflict in the Middle East began on Oct. 7, indicating that they have not altered their security plan based on the car explosion that killed two.
“We can tell you there are no credible or specific threats to your city or to tomorrow’s parade at this time,” top cop Edward Caban said. “The eyes of the world continue to be on New York City and we are confident that there will be another fantastic Thanksgiving in the greatest city in the world.”
According to Chief of Patrol John Chell, police have arrested some 638 protesters across the five boroughs since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last month. Chell also stated that 674 demonstrations have taken place since Oct. 7 with 286 of those being directly related to pro-Israel and pro-Palestine causes. Additionally, he calculates New York has seen 130,000 protesters hit the streets.
“It’s clear that some of the chatter is that there will be some form of protests happening in the city,” Adams said. “We want to make sure that we are taking extra precaution so that we don’t have any disruptions.”
