Crowds cheer as NYPD hat burns during pro-Palestinian protest near tree lighting
NEW YORK - A demonstrator at a pro-Palestinian rally during Wednesday night's Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony was recorded holding a burning NYPD hat and throwing it on the street as crowds cheered.
In video captured by MostlyPeaceful.live and Julio Rosas, a person wearing a keffiyeh scarf held an officer's hat that was set on fire and a lighter as crowds marched down Madison Avenue.
"Take a video, take a video please," the person is heard saying in the video.
Chants of "What do you want? Justice" could be heard from parts of the crowd.
A Pro-Palestinian protester shows off burning NYPD officer’s hat as a crowds march near Rockefeller Center Wednesday. (Credit: MostlyPeaceful.live/Julio Rosas via Storyful)
The person then takes the hat engulfed in flames and holds it up before throwing it on the ground.
Crowds cheered and took pictures of the hat on fire as the protester took a Palestinian flag and held it up over the flames.
It is unclear at this time who the burning hat belonged to, how it was obtained and whether action was taken against the protester holding it.
After a call by Palestinian-led community group Within Our Lifetime to "flood" the annual Christmas tree-lighting event. hundreds convened in Midtown Manhattan Wednesday night.
Police and protesters tussled as the NYPD struggled to keep protesters back.
SkyFOX captured hundreds of demonstrators rallying outside the Fox News Corp. building – which houses Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post – on the nearby corner of 47th Street and 6th Avenue.
Seven people were taken into custody. According to police, some could be issued summonses, or face arrest after an investigation.
Storfyful contributed to this report.