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Police warned that “elevated vigilance” is necessary during this year’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center, according to an internal NYPD memo obtained by The Post Tuesday — as pro-Palestinian protesters announced they plan to “flood” the iconic event in support of Gaza.
The memo notes that there are no “specific or credible” threats targeting the world-renowned annual event — which is expected to draw tens of thousands of revelers to Midtown on Wednesday.
But the threat evaluation notice pointed out that mass gatherings and high-profile events such as the ceremony — hosted this year by singer Kelly Clarkson — could be easy targets for “malicious actors” looking to do harm during the holiday season.
Since the bloody Oct. 7 attack launched by Hamas on Israel, “a variety of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) have persistently called for broad attacks on US interests,” the NYPD said in the memo.
While that propaganda alone isn’t a reliable cause for alarm, those “incitements” may “resonate” with “US-based homegrown violent extremists” and “mobilize some to action, necessitating elevated vigilance” during the holiday season, it warned.
The notice came just as the Palestinian-led community organization Within Our Lifetime — responsible for several other recent demonstrations in the city — announced its plans to disrupt the tree lighting festivities.
The organization encouraged its supporters to “Flood the tree lighting for Gaza,” noting the ceremony this year falls on the UN-recognized International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
“This year, Jerusalem’s 13 official churches + the Bethlehem Municipality itself has called to suspend Christmas celebrations in mourning for the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the group captioned an Instagram post featuring the protest flyer.
“Join interfaith groups as we honor the call from Christians in Palestine to spend this holiday season standing against the genocide of Palestinians being carried out in our name with our tax dollars,” it said.
The majestic, 80-foot-tall, 43-foot-wide evergreen will be lit for the first time during the ceremony set to run from 8 to 10 p.m. in Rockefeller Plaza — heralding the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple.
The tree lighting falls less than a week after cops said 34 pro-Palestinian protesters were busted for disrupting the high-profile Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — an incident that the NYPD noted in its new memo.
Four people were arrested and charged with offenses including obstructing governmental administration, disorderly conduct, trespass, harassment and resisting arrest, according to the NYPD.
The 30 others — whose names were not released — were issued summonses to appear in criminal court, police said.
The anti-Israel protesters’ most dramatic display came when they glued their hands to the middle of 6th Avenue and covered themselves in fake blood, briefly bringing the 97th annual parade to a halt.
A Brooklyn cop told The Post Tuesday that the officers “need to enforce the law” should disruptors interfere with the family-friendly tree lighting in a similar manner.
“This is a family event with children,” the source said. “They should not be afraid.”
The memo also noted that “ideologically unaffiliated malicious actors” also tend to strike during the holidays — pointing to the lone arsonist who allegedly torched the Christmas tree outside the News Corp building that houses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post offices in December 2021.
The firebug, identified as Craig Tamanaha, used a lighter and possibly accelerants to cause about $500,000 in property damage to the artificial tree, located outside a heavily patrolled, tourist-packed corner near Rockefeller Center, police sources said at the time.
He was sprung after his arraignment because his charges were not eligible for bail under new soft-on-crime reform laws.
The NYPD issued a similar memo calling for vigilance prior to the annual Halloween parade in the West Village.
“The NYPD’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau deploys a wide array of resources to protect the city based on events unfolding here and around the world. We do anticipate that there will be protests in the city on Wednesday — to include around the area of the tree lighting — and at future gatherings around the city in the days and weeks to come, as we have seen over the past seven weeks,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.
“The NYPD will be on hand to protect the tree lighting and all those attending, and we will not tolerate disruption or any threats to public safety.”
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
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