6 Arrested, Issued Summonses During Christmas Israel-Hamas War Protest

MIDTOWN, NY - Six people were arrested, issued summonses or given criminal court appearance tickets as a result of a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Christmas Day in Midtown, authorities said.

Protesters clashed with uniformed officers near Rockefeller Center just before 2 p.m., with one demonstrator arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and related offenses, an NYPD spokesperson told Patch.

Another protester was released and issued a criminal summons for graffiti; four others were issued criminal court desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct, police said. The nature of the graffiti was not immediately available.

“No celebration ‘til liberation,” protesters chanted as the crowd of hundreds marched from Rockefeller Center to Grand Central and Union Square. Signs reading “No Joy In Genocide,” “Enough Is Enough” and “Stop The Violence” were waved by the Midtown demonstrators.

The Dec. 25 protest was one of several tied to Christmas in tandem with suspended Christmas services in Bethlehem amid the Israel-Hamas War. At least 17 Israelis and 70 Palestinians were killed over the weekend, according to multiple reports.

The rally along Sixth Avenue concluded about 7 p.m., police said.

The news comes about a month after 34 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested or issued summonses after disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade near Sixth Avenue.

That protest culminated on the steps of the New York Public Library, "which was covered in fake blood by the end," organizers said. Protesters specifically targeted the Stephen Schwarzman building, named for the Blackstone Group CEO whose company pledged $7 million in aid to Israel earlier this year.

"Free Palestine" was also spray-painted on the pillars of the New York Public Library building during the November demonstration.