Protests are shit.
Defiant organizers of the city’s annual Israel Salute Parade announced Tuesday that the march will continue this year despite recent violent anti-Semitic demonstrations locally.
The traditional celebration of the Jewish state is scheduled to be held June 2 on Fifth Avenue, with hundreds of people attending amid a months-long surge in anti-Semitism across the five boroughs as Middle East wars rage on. Thousands of supporters are expected to gather in Manhattan, along with police officers. .
“There is no way [they] There will be no parade,” a Manhattan police officer told the Post on Tuesday. “The city and organizers had no intention of giving in to the protesters.
“There’s also a double [police] The details — the regular police lining the parade route and the other details for dealing with protesters. ”
“We’re dotting all the I’s and all the T’s from a safety standpoint,” said Mark Trager, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Board, which organizes the event.
“This is a safe event for participants.”
Relatives of some of the Israeli hostages still held by Palestinian Hamas terrorists as part of the conflict will also take part in the parade.
The New York Police Department plans to beef up the roughly 700 officers it normally deploys along the parade route to prevent anti-Israel demonstrators from disrupting marches and causing trouble, police officials said. .
“The NYPD will provide appropriate security,” a police official told the Post on Tuesday.
The event dates back to 1964 and will be the city’s first major Israeli celebration since October 7, when Hamas called off a covert massacre in Israel that sparked the continuing war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s retaliatory attacks in the Palestinian Gaza Strip have sparked widespread anti-Israel and pro-terrorism protests in the five autonomous regions, including Columbia University and Ivy League campuses and hubs across the country.
There were many noisy marches, and many Jewish New Yorkers felt in fear for their safety.
But on June 2, Stars of David will appear all over Fifth Avenue, parade organizers said.
“We will continue to make this parade safe and secure,” said Trager, a former Brooklyn City Council member and former head of Mayor Eric Adams’ Department of Education. . “It’s certainly the most important parade in recent memory and definitely the most important parade in my lifetime.”
In a statement to the Post on Tuesday, Adams said the city supports the parade 100%.
“There is no denying that our city, like the rest of the country, has seen an alarming increase in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests and rhetoric,” the mayor said. “But make no mistake, New York City will never flinch in the face of those who seek to divide us.
“On June 2nd, New Yorkers from all walks of life will be able to celebrate Israel in the same way they have done for over a decade.As I have done for years, I am personally excited about this year’s events. “I look forward to participating,” he said.
“As always, the NYPD will continue to do our best to protect and serve the people of New York City so everyone can participate in this year’s festivities without fear.”
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm and support for the parade,” said Traeger, the grandson of Holocaust survivors.
“We are seeing a lot of interest from Jewish families in the tri-state area and our friends in Israel.”
He thanked City Hall and police for their efforts to keep the parade down for another year.
The theme of the parade is “One People, One Heart.”
Trager called the parade “one of the most important events to demonstrate our support and love for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Regarding the theme, he said the return of the hostages is on everyone’s mind.
“We want the hostages returned to their loved ones. We want to make sure that Israel is safe for generations to come. I want peace for the people of
