Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have held a rally at a Christmas tree lighting celebration in New York. They staged the protest to draw attention to the conflict in the Middle East.

The ceremony at Rockefeller Center dates back to the 1930s and is traditionally seen as a start of the holiday season. On Wednesday, celebrants around a Norway spruce adorned with 50,000 lights.

The protesters have been demonstrating for weeks. They called on others to "flood the tree lighting for Gaza," and hundreds showed up and filled nearby streets.

One protester said, "We feel like people should not be celebrating this year when there is an active genocide happening."

Another said, "We are just here to tell people that there is genocide going on, and this genocide needs to be stopped right now. "

Police were expecting the protesters and took seven people at the scene into custody. They say the tree lighting went ahead "without incident."