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Thirteen pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in Boston after a chaotic clash with police that resulted in four officers being sent to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Everyone arrested at Tuesday’s protest was from the area and ranged in age from 19 and 27, police said. They are due to be arraigned Wednesday and Thursday, most on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.
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One protester, 21-year-old Roder Atwood of Somerville, was 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 Wednesday, his bail was set at $10,000 and he has another hearing on Oct. 30.
Atwood’s lawyer, Peter O’Karma, didn’t immediately respond to a Thursday voicemail seeking comment.
Local news footage showed protesters and police officers shoving one another and even wrestling on the ground. Video showed protesters shouting, “Get off of him,” as officers were restraining someone.
The protest was one of many around the world that coincided with the second anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251 people, and Israel responded with a massive military campaign that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
According to a police news release, officers were stationed at Boston Common to monitor the rally starting at 5:30 p.m. About an hour later, about 200 to 300 protesters clashed with officers a few blocks away. The crowds blocked a road, chanted over amplified bullhorns and interlocked arms to prevent police vehicles from passing as officers attempted to respond to an “unrelated emergency,” the department said.
When officers tried to move the group to the sidewalk to allow emergency vehicles to pass, protesters surrounded police cruisers, kicked their doors, and ignited smoke devices and flares, police said.
Several officers were assaulted, including one who was struck in the face, and four members of law enforcement were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the department said. According to a police report, one officer suffered a broken nose; another officer sustained a lower back injury. The other two were taken to the hospital for a finger injury and pepper spray exposure to his or her face and eyes.
“They tried to block the police cars trying to come down Tremont Street and it was wild,” witness Brody Greland told WHDH-TV. “After they tried to block the police cars, the police got involved and started making arrests and trying to clear the road, and it got really chaotic. I think there were some fights — some people started throwing punches, it got crazy.”
The Boston protest was organized by area Students for Justice in Palestine groups, according to social media posts. The Berkeley Beacon, Emerson College’s student newspaper, reported that organizers called on protesters to urge their universities to divest from companies with economic ties to Israel.
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Associated Press reporter Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.
