Chicago Police Commissioner Larry Snelling said the people arrested Tuesday night outside the Israeli consulate, about two miles from the United Center where the Democrats were meeting, “appeared with the intent to commit acts of violence and vandalism.” Snelling called the police response “proportionate.”
“As a Chicago Police Department, we did everything we could to de-escalate the situation,” Snelling said during a press conference.
According to Chicago police, 30 of the people arrested by police were cited for disturbing the peace. One person was arrested for resisting police, while nine people were charged with misdemeanors including disturbing the peace, resisting police officers, assault, battery and property damage, police said.
The violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters – many dressed in black and with their faces covered – attacked a line of police officers who had blocked their march. They were eventually able to get past the police, but were surrounded several times throughout the night by police in riot gear, who did not allow the protesters to disperse.
Hatem Abudayyeh, co-founder of the US Palestinian Community Network, responded to the clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police, blaming the police for maintaining peace.
The police “have only one responsibility here,” he said. “They have a responsibility not to violate our rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution.”
Abudayyeh led a separate march on Monday, but was not an organizer of the demonstration on Tuesday evening in front of the Israeli consulate.
Snelling said two people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, one for knee pain and one with a finger injury. Two officers were injured but refused medical attention because they did not want to leave their colleagues alone, Snelling said. He said three journalists were among those arrested, but he did not provide details on the charges.
The Israeli consulate has been the scene of numerous demonstrations since the Gaza war began in October, and the protests during the DNC largely focused on opposition to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The largest protest so far, which attracted around 3,500 people on Monday, was largely peaceful and resulted in 13 arrests, most of them related to breaching security fences. Two people were arrested on Sunday evening during another largely peaceful march.
Also on Wednesday, a man who fled a courthouse in Mississippi and is wanted on charges of murder and armed robbery was arrested. The man was taken into custody at a restaurant about a half-mile from the United Center after a standoff with police. There was no indication he had any connection to the gathering.
