NYPD Battens Down the Hatches Ahead of Expected NYE Protests

The New York Police Department and several major television networks are preparing for the worst as pro-Palestinian protests are expected to coincide with the annual Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration Sunday night.

Cops in the Big Apple have declared a “heightened threat environment” in the wake of Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and already dealt with unruly demonstrators interrupting the city’s annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last month. A source within the NYPD told Deadline that they expect the law enforcement presence at Sunday’s celebration to be “significantly greater than usual.”

Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday at a press conference that there was no specific threat police were preparing for—but that the city is still taking every precaution. He pointed to a bloody attack which took place during last year’s New Year’s Eve celebration, in which a machete-wielding teen slashed three NYPD officers. The 19-year-old later claimed his opposition to U.S. support for Israel as motivation for the attack.

Read more at The Daily Beast.