Christmas parade canceled due to threats against protesters calling for justice for Emmett Till

A Christmas parade in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was canceled on Saturday after potential threats were made against planned protesters, according to law enforcement officials.

Civil rights organizations held a "Justice for Emmett Till" protest at the Justice Center and at an apartment at Shive Lane, where Carolyn Bryant Donham lived, Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower told ABC News.

Bryant Donham is the white woman who accused 14-year-old Till of making advances toward her in August 1955, leading to his kidnapping and murder.

The Bowling Green Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office said in a video on Facebook on Saturday that they learned of threats made against the groups and are currently working alongside the FBI and Homeland Security to investigate the reported threats.

"The specific threat is threatening to shoot anyone who is protesting and anyone who is helping the protesters," Sheriff Hightower said in the video. "We have not been able to determine the validity of this threat."

Hightower said that around 20 to 25 people showed up, some armed, to protest at both sites around noon, local time. The protests were peaceful, the sheriff said.

Jaycee Christmas Parade organizers canceled their plans for the parade hours before its scheduled start.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are canceling today's parade. The safety of our participants and spectators is ALWAYS [our] main focus," organizers wrote on Facebook early Saturday morning. "We have been in constant communication with law enforcement and have felt, all week, that we could provide a safe, fun event. With this latest information, we knew that postponing was our best option."

SoKY Marketplace's Mistletoe Market, also in Bowling Green, was canceled because of the protests, it announced on Facebook.

The Bowling Green Police Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The protests come months after a grand jury in Leflore County, Mississippi, decided not to indict Bryant Donham for her involvement in Till's death, citing insufficient evidence.

Bryant Donham's statement allegedly led to Till's kidnapping and murder at the hands of her husband, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam. The two men were acquitted of murder charges by an all-white jury weeks after Till's mutilated body was found in the Tallahatchie River. Bryant Donham was never arrested.

ABC News' Kendall Ross contributed to this report.