NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The NYPD will have New Year’s Eve–level security in place for Wednesday night’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting amid ongoing tension over the Israel-Hamas war and plans for protests near the packed holiday ceremony, officials said.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa on Tuesday that protesters will “have space for their First Amendment [rights]” but must stay within designated areas, similar to the pens used to contain people in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. If demonstrators stray, they’ll be subject to arrest, he said.
“We will be giving warnings that you’ve gotta stay in the pen,” Chell said. “To come out of the pen will be trespassing from Rockefeller Center. And we’ll address that if need be. But we expect a secure, fun night. Come out and enjoy the tree.”
Thousands of revelers are expected to stand in the cold for hours Wednesday, all for the chance to catch a glimpse of the 80-foot Norway spruce being lit with 50,000 lights around 10 p.m. following several hours of festivities. Crews were already starting to close streets by early afternoon.
Multiple protests over the Israel-Hamas war are expected in the area, with the group Within Our Lifetime calling on demonstrators to “flood the tree lighting for Gaza.”
Nerdeen Kiswani, founder and organizer at Within Our Lifetime, said the group doesn’t plan to disrupt the event but wants to show support for Palestinians.
“Anywhere there’s going to be a large gathering of people is an educational opportunity,” Kiswani said. “There’s no planned disruption, it’s just educational.”
Just last Thursday, dozens of protesters disrupted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Midtown, leading to at least 34 arrests on charges that reportedly included harassment, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Kiswani noted her group demonstrated that day but wasn’t involved in the incident involving arrests. She said police have been "very heavy-handed in how they've responded to these protests, and it's unfortunate."
The NYPD has been on heightened alert over Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel in early October and the continued conflict in Gaza.
“As we’ve been doing since Oct. 7, we’ll have plenty of uniformed officers out there to secure the tree,” Chell said.
The NYPD Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau issued a threat assessment advisory to law enforcement and government agencies this week, saying protests over the war could disrupt the tree festivities, ABC News reported after obtaining the document.
According to the report, the assessment indicated that there is no specific or credible threat to the tree lighting, but it also noted the U.S. “continues to face a heightened and dynamic risk environment from a variety of extremists.”
“Malicious actors may view mass gatherings, iconic locations and high-profile events as targets of opportunity during the holiday season,” the bulletin warned.
The assessment also said demonstrators could see the nationally televised event "as an opportunity to draw attention to their own causes."