- Security is heightened in Times Square for New Year’s Eve due to potential protests by pro-Palestine groups
- Despite no specific threats, the NYPD is taking precautions, with Mayor Adams highlighting past incidents and emphasizing readiness
- The area will be closed off with police checkpoints, anticipating disruptions during the celebrations
Security is being stepped up around Times Square ahead of Sunday night’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York City.
Although there are currently no identified security threats associated with the celebrations held in the heart of Manhattan, the New York Police Department (NYPD) are taking precautions.
Pro-Palestine groups have expressed intentions to protest in Times Square against Israel‘s military campaign in the Gaza Strip having already disrupted the Thanksgiving Day Parade and lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
Mayor Adams, together with top NYPD officials held a press conference on Friday afternoon stressing their continued vigilance due to previous incidents, such as an attack on NYPD officers during last year’s Times Square ball drop.
‘There are no specific threats to the city, but as we saw last year, you don’t have to have a specific threat to get a threat, and we’re going to be ready,’ the mayor said.
‘Hundreds of thousands of people will be out here lined up, and no matter how often we see it, you never get used to it, the excitement remains over and over again,’ he said.
Times Square will be closed off from around 12 pm on New Year’s Eve and those who want to get into the area have to go through police checkpoints and security screenings.
It comes after the protestors, who are calling for a ceasefire as 21,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fight between Israel and Hamas, disrupted all of the city’s major celebrations and parades since the October attacks.
Assistant Chief John Hart highlighted the department’s readiness for groups of varying sizes and points of origin for the protests.
Other pro-Palestine protests in the city over the past couple months have drawn between 1,000 and 5,000 people.
‘We’re prepared for them in any number,’ Hart said. ‘We’re prepared for different groups from different places, and we will make sure this event stays safe.’
Adams, a Democrat, admitted that it was likely that protesters would attempt to cause disruption in Times Square where more than a million people were expected to gather to celebrate at midnight
One protester, Katie Unger, referenced the preparation for the celebration in a post on X as she marched.
‘They are setting up to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square. We are here to insist that the people of Gaza and Palestine too have the right to a thriving living peaceful new year.’
The Times Square Alliance has teamed up with the NYPD, private security firms and federal authorities to keep the area safe.
‘Like any fine Broadway show, we rehearse everything to make sure there are no problems for opening night,’ said Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance.
Its president Tom Harris said: ‘If you’re going to come and try to disrupt the event, you’re probably not gonna be successful, and if you are, you’re going to be arrested.
‘So stay home and protest someplace else.’
It comes a day after police arrested pro-Palestinian protesters that blocked entry to New York City‘s John…
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