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Thirteen pro-Palestine protesters were arrested boston Four officers were sent to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after a chaotic clash with police, officials said.
Police said all those arrested in Tuesday’s protests were from the area and aged between 19 and 27. He will be arraigned on Wednesday and Thursday on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
One protester, 21-year-old Rodger Attwood Somervillewas also charged with more serious crimes, including interfering with a police officer, destruction of property, assault and battery on a police officer, and assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury. He was arraigned on Wednesday, with his bail set at $10,000 and his next hearing on October 30.
Atwood’s attorney, Peter O’Karma, did not immediately respond to a voicemail Thursday seeking comment.
Local news footage showed protesters and police officers pushing each other and even wrestling on the ground. Video showed protesters yelling, “Get away from him,” as officers restrained someone.
The protest was one of several around the world that coincided with the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern israel Due to which war broke out in Gaza. Hamas About 1,200 terrorists were killed Israel and abducted 251 people, and Israel responded with a major military campaign that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
According to a police news release, officers were deployed to the Boston Common to monitor the rally that began at 5:30 p.m. About an hour later, about 200 to 300 protesters clashed with officers a few blocks away. The department said the crowd blocked a road, chanting with bullhorns and wielding weapons to prevent police vehicles from passing, as officers were attempting to respond to an “unrelated emergency”.
When officers tried to move the group to the sidewalk to allow emergency vehicles to pass, protesters surrounded police cruisers, kicked in their doors, and lit smoking devices and fires, police said.
The department said several officers were attacked, one of whom was hit in the face, and four members of law enforcement were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. According to a police report, one officer suffered a broken nose; Another officer suffered a lower back injury. The other two were taken to the hospital with finger injuries and pepper spray to the face and eyes.
“They tried to stop the police cars trying to come down Tremont Street and it was wild,” witness Brody Grayland told WHDH-TV. “When they tried to stop the police cars, the police got involved and started making arrests and trying to clear the street, and it got really chaotic. I think there were some fights – some people started throwing punches, it got crazy.”
According to social media posts, the Boston protest was organized by area Students for Justice in Palestine groups. Emerson College’s student newspaper, the Berkeley Beacon, reported that organizers called on protesters to urge their universities to divest companies with economic ties to Israel.
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Associated Press reporter Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire contributed.