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- Demonstrators attend the annual Christmas caroling event in Washington Square Park on Sunday night
- Singers weren’t drowned out by calls for a ceasefire, their holiday music was
- Protesters surrounded the area in a caravan, honking horns and playing loud music
New York’s Christmas Eve caroling event was disrupted by pro-Palestinian supporters trying to cover up the singing, but attendees continued on.
Sunday’s event in Washington Square Park drew demonstrators calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The festive chorus was interrupted by pro-Palestinian chants as protesters circled the perimeter in a large SUV with giant wheels.
The counter-event to the annual caroling ceremony was organized by the group Our Lives.
The group shared stories from the takeover event on Instagram with the caption: “No celebration until liberation.”
The annual tree-circling caroling event begins at 5 p.m.
Protesters quickly surrounded the area in a caravan, honking horns, playing loud music and bragging about disrupting services.
But the carolers were unfazed by the disturbance and doggedly continued singing.
“They were disruptive and we sang louder,” Ed Cooper, 76, told the New York Post.
“We’re not going to let them have this night. Yes, it’s annoying, but Christmas to me is all about turning negatives into positives.
“I heard trumpets and loud music, and I said to myself, this is God telling me that I’m not singing loud enough.” I sang myself hoarse.
Another West Village caroler, Shannon, called the protesters “jerks,” even though he supported the ceasefire.
“Carolers of all races and creeds caroling together in the spirit of the holidays, these assholes drive around with music blaring from huge speakers and honking their horns as a tactic – to annoy the people they love forever ” Who are they trying to win over? I really don’t understand,” she told the outlet.
“I’m still young and obviously a lot of people my age think it’s terrible to kill Christmas for a cause. I find it misguided and counterproductive.
“I don’t think anyone who stood up tonight is more likely to stand up for Palestine now.”
The event was part of a broader series of demonstrations in the tri-state area.
These include the “Swamp the Gaza Highway” car caravan in New York and New Jersey.
Invite participants to bring Flags, bandanas and slogans “turned the highway into a flood of support”.
The protests came as news emerged that deadly airstrikes on refugee camps in Gaza on Christmas Eve had killed at least 68 people.
Frantic Palestinians were seen carrying the dead, including a baby, and the injured after the attack on the Magazi refugee camp east of Deir el-Balah.
Meanwhile, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in fighting over the weekend rose to 15 with the death of IDF soldier Sgt. Bilhanu Kasi, 22 years old.
The city has been rocked by a wave of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage.
Pro-Palestinian supporters have demanded a ceasefire from Israel, despite opposition on the international stage, but Israeli retaliatory attacks have so far killed more than 20,000 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The war has cost us a very heavy price, but we have no choice but to continue fighting.”
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