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Dozens of people were arrested after clashing with police at an unsanctioned protest outside the Israeli consulate on Tuesday night.
At least 72 people were arrested during the protest, according to the Chicago National Bar Association. They were brought here to Area 3 headquarters, where police are slowly releasing those arrested one by one this morning.
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An unsanctioned protest outside the Israeli consulate turned into a clash with police on Tuesday night.
An unsanctioned protest outside the Israeli consulate turned into a clash with police late at night.
Around 200 protesters tried to break the police bike line. Hundreds of Chicago police officers in riot gear, face shields and batons held the line and stopped the group inside.
Protesters again tried to engage police, but instead made their way through the Loop downtown with bike blockades.
“There were lines of police on both sides,” said one protester, one of the 72 arrested. “They pushed everyone in opposite directions so everyone was crammed together. They are journalists and they are protestors. All were basically beaten by the police. The police pushed people away and attacked them with riot gear.”
A Chicago protest set fire to the ground Tuesday night.
The protester was released with a court date early Wednesday morning.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been arrested or behind bars, but at the end of the day, I think the cause is worth it,” he said.
He said he and his fellow opponents are critical of the current administration’s handling of the war in Gaza, and that Democratic leaders at the DNC should listen to their concerns.
“We want to end the genocide, not a new person leading the genocide,” he said.
Many of the protesters were produced in court on Wednesday.
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