Multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested on Tuesday night after clashing with police during a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago. The protest, which took place on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, spilled onto the surrounding streets and resulted in intense confrontations with law enforcement.
The clashes began shortly after the demonstration started, with some protesters—many dressed in black with their faces covered—charging at a police line that blocked them from marching. Although the protesters managed to push past the officers, they were repeatedly corralled by police in riot gear throughout the night, preventing them from dispersing.
According to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which provided legal observers for the protest, at least 72 people were arrested. A significant portion of the arrests occurred at the end of the night when police confined the remaining demonstrators in a plaza, blocking them from leaving. Despite accusations of “kettling,” a tactic involving the corralling of protesters that is banned under a federal consent decree, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling denied that this tactic was used.
Snelling praised the police response, calling it proportional and asserting that some protesters had intended to incite violence. “We have people who showed up here to commit acts of violence,” he told reporters, though he did not provide specific details or a final arrest count.
Earlier in the evening, tensions escalated as some demonstrators set an American flag on fire in the street. This occurred as the celebratory roll call for Vice President Kamala Harris took place inside the United Center, approximately two miles away.
As the protesters regrouped near the Israeli consulate, they were met by a line of police in riot gear. Despite being ordered to disperse, demonstrators continued their march, with some shouting defiantly at the officers.
The protest group was not affiliated with the coalition of over 200 organizations that had organized a peaceful pro-Palestinian march near the convention site a day earlier. Tuesday’s demonstrators adopted the slogan “Make it great like ’68,” referencing the anti-Vietnam War protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
While Tuesday’s protest resulted in arrests and confrontations, the atmosphere contrasted sharply with Monday’s demonstrations, where thousands of pro-Palestinian activists, including families, marched peacefully near the convention site to call for a ceasefire.
The Israeli consulate, which has been a frequent site of demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in October, is located in a building connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a major commuter rail station. Law enforcement had closed most of the building’s entrances during Tuesday’s protest, allowing entry only through a single access point guarded by armed officers.
Amid the escalating tensions, Mohammed Ismail, a 29-year-old psychiatry resident, criticized the police response as excessive. “It’s not right that we’re sending our tax money to fund an ongoing slaughter, an ongoing genocide,” Ismail said, explaining that he joined the protest to urge Democrats to halt U.S. funding to Israel.
Earlier in the day, Israel supporters gathered at a nearby pro-Israel art installation to call on U.S. leaders to continue backing Israel and push for the release of hostages taken by Hamas. The installation featured giant milk cartons bearing photos of some of the hostages. Elan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council, condemned the pro-Palestinian protests and urged U.S. leaders to stand firmly with Israel.
