There is one episode in one of the Gospels where the Jewish people supposedly demand that a convicted murderer be freed (Barrabbas) instead of Jesus.
Somehow I don't believe that at all. Jesus was popular with the Jewish masses, but was hated by the Jewish and Roman power elite.
I believe that the crowd spoken of there were mostly pharacees, who deeply feared losing their power and influence to Christ.
I always suspected that the Bar-Abbas episode was inaccurate. I can't believe that the Romans would have freed an open rebel - under any pressure. I suspect that this was put into the New Testament to show that Jesus was very much alone at the end.