Authorities in New York City encouraged "elevated vigilance" during this year's Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center after pro-Palestinian protesters said they will "flood" the event.
The annual ceremony, hosted this year by Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson, is expected to draw tens of thousands to Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday.
While there are no "specific or credible" threats, a memo leaked to the New York Post on Tuesday showed that the NYPD believes the event could be an easy target for "malicious actors."
The "incitements" of violence by terrorist groups against the U.S. since Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack in Israel might "resonate" with "US-based homegrown violent extremists," the memo said.
Those calls could "mobilize some to action, necessitating elevated vigilance."
Some pro-Palestine organizations in the U.S. have already announced plans to demonstrate during the tree-lighting ceremony. But there are no indications the demonstrations will turn violent.
"Within Our Lifetime," which has organized other pro-Palestine protests in the city, posted this week on Instagram, encouraging its supporters to "flood the tree lighting for Gaza."
The group noted that the ceremony falls on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People this year, a holiday typically observed by United Nations delegations.
Less than a week ago, a group of 34 pro-Palestinian protesters was busted for disrupting the high-profile Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Four were arrested and charged with serious offenses, including obstruction of governmental administration and trespassing. The other 30 were issued summonses to appear in criminal court.