A group of protesters sneaked into the famous Thanksgiving parade in New York this Thursday and interrupted it for a few minutes with a banner urging “save Palestine and the planet”although the event did not lose its festive and family atmosphere and ended without incident.
Around 10:00 GMT (15:00 GMT), a dozen activists jumped over the fences that delimited Sixth Avenue along which the almost centenary parade runs, at the height of Times Square, and They shouted slogans as they staged their death by lying on the ground and pouring red liquid over themselves.
The protest seemed to surprise everyone and even the police themselves, since it occurred despite security measures reinforced by the conflict. between Israel and Hamas, and with the recent commotion for the vehicle that exploded yesterday near Niagara Falls, an event in which terrorism has been ruled out as a cause.
The activists, who chanted “Free Palestine,” wore white jumpsuits with the words consumerism, capitalism, colonialism, ethnic cleansing or militarism, and according to their banner they belonged to the Seven Circles Alliance organization, which describes itself as a climate and anti-capitalist coalition.
The Police came to arrest the protesters but some had stuck to the ground, which left a curious picture, since everyone could be seen waiting for about twenty minutes while they were raffled off by music bands, floats and huge balloons of characters like Pikachu. .
“We have to liberate Palestine, we have to heal the Earth,” shouted a young protester handcuffed and guarded by agents, while behind him passed a colorful Lego brand float, with colored blocks, and chaired by the Colombian singer Manuel Turizo, who I was greeting.
At other points in the parade, but already behind the fences, also there were pro-Palestinian protesters who raised flags among the public and posters calling for “stopping Israel” and “stop funding genocide”; but in any case there were no exchanges other than shouts and boos.
Protests aside, the day passed calmly in the Big Apple, the focus of Thanksgiving celebrations, especially for this parade organized since 1924 by the department stores Macy’s and which attracts some 3.5 million visitors, its officials said yesterday.
The balloons several meters high caused a sensation among the little ones, with shapes of characters such as Kung Fu Panda, Baby Yoda, SpongeBob SquarePants or Son Goku, although without a doubt the most anticipated was the figure of Tom the Turkey and Santa’s sleigh. Claus, who closed the procession to announce the arrival of Christmas.
The parade, which mobilized thousands of musicians, dancers and artists such as the singer Cher, star of this edition, culminated around noon at the historic Macy’s building in Herald Square, in the center of Manhattan, which featured at its entrance the sculpture of the turkey, a symbol of this holiday.
The streets of the city were full of people today, mostly families and groups of friends, and especially Fifth Avenue, closed to traffic and with shops prepared for the Christmas season.
On Thanksgiving Day, the country’s most popular holiday, Americans gather at home to eat the traditional roast turkey, The celebration runs from Friday, known as Black Friday, to Monday, known as Cyber Monday.
EFE
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