NYC is on high alert ahead of pro-Palestinian march at annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting – as cops urge spectators to act with ‘elevated vigilance’

New York City is on high alert after a pro-Palestinian group announced its plans to “flood the tree lighting for Gaza” ahead of the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting.

The 91st annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting takes place Wednesday evening, starting at approximately 7 p.m.

Police have urged attendees to act with “heightened vigilance” during the annual event, after the pro-Palestinian group called “Within Our Lifetime” shared a flyer Monday night titled “Flood the tree lighting FOR GAZA.”

The NYPD announced it was preparing for possible protests. By midday there was already a heavy police presence with additional security barriers and officers lining the surrounding streets.

This comes just weeks after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, leaving some individuals clinging to the ground and at least 34 people arrested for disorderly conduct.

To add to the evening’s problems, temperatures are forecast to drop to freezing around 7pm, although it will feel even chillier.

Thousands of spectators are expected to stand in the cold for hours to catch a glimpse of the 24-metre tall Norway spruce which will be illuminated with 50,000 lights, and to see Kelly Clarkson, who will organize the event.

In the memo, the NYPD also stated that large-scale events such as tree lightings are targeted by “malicious actors” looking to spread harm during the busy holiday season.

The memo, which was shared with The New York Post, revealed that there were no “specific or credible” threats against Rockefeller Center’s famous Christmas tree.

Authorities added that “a variety of foreign terrorist organizations have consistently called for broad attacks on U.S. interests” since Hamas launched its violent attack on Israel on October 7.

The police department made it clear that online propaganda is not substantial enough to pose a threat to the public, but can still “resonate” with “US-based homegrown violent extremists.”

The group, also known as ‘wolpalestine’, said Wednesday marks the International Day of Solidarity for the Palestinian Community and has been observed since 1977.

“This year, the thirteen official churches of Jerusalem + the municipality of Bethlehem itself have called for the suspension of Christmas celebrations in mourning for the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the post said.

Within Our Lifetime spearheaded many other protests in the Big Apple after holding a protest at Grand Central Station on November 10.

A gang of masked pro-Palestinian protesters stormed Grand Central Station on Friday evening, kicking in the door and breaking the glass, but failed to reach the closed station.

As one person with a bull’s horn chanted “we are all Palestinians,” a handful of men tried to break down the doors. Angry scenes followed as police tried to take them away from the station.

Grand Central – where 750,000 people pass through every day – was closed that night due to the chaos, and New York police warned people to avoid the area.

More recently, the pro-Palestinian group posted a disturbing map showing landmarks in the city that they classified as “direct targets.”

The image specified famous buildings and companies in the Big Apple that have ties to Israel or are media companies.

The page on which the map is posted is called Within Our Lifetime and has described itself as a Palestinian-led community organization that says, “We will liberate Palestine.”

“Each of the locations on this map reflects the location of an office of an enemy of both the Palestinian people and colonized people around the world, the group said, according to the New York Post. “Today and beyond, these locations will be sites for popular mobilization in defense of our people,” the message said.

The Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony is an annual tradition that began in 1933.

People from all over the world travel and gather to watch the giant, carefully picked Christmas tree make its first appearance of the season.

This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree made the 200-mile journey from upstate New York to the holiday hotspot in Manhattan.

The tree, an 80-year-old Norway spruce, arrived at the New York City Plaza on November 11.

Known for its enchanting display of glittering Christmas lights, it will soon be decorated with an eight-kilometre-long array of more than 50,000 multi-coloured LEDs.

Decorators will complete the festive decor with the signature Swarovski star with three million crystals that has topped the trees of Rockefeller Center since 2004.

The ceremony is open to the public, with spectator access points at 48th Street and 6th Avenue and at 51st Street and 6th Avenue opening around 4 p.m.

In addition, there will be an accessible viewpoint on the southwest corner of 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza. The event will also be televised.

This comes as Fox News Media hosted its fourth annual All-American Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the network’s headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

The event benefited the First Responder’s Children’s Foundation and took place during the live broadcast of the top-rated cable show, The Five, with co-hosts Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, judge Jeanine Pirro and Harold Ford Jr.

Perino honored Israel and the Jewish people during the ceremony.

“The holidays always remind us to remember what matters most. This year, the Fox family is thinking of Israel and the Jewish people,” she said. “Believe me, we hear you and we stand with you. It has been a heartbreaking 44 days since Hamas terrorists launched an attack on the Israeli people.”

‘More than two hundred people are still being held hostage, including babies as young as ten months old. And we all hope and pray that their families can hug them again very soon.”