March Outside Israeli Consulate Leads to Confrontation, Arrests
By Brett Rowland | The Center Square
(Worthy News) – Chicago’s run of peaceful protests during the Democratic National Convention turned ugly Tuesday night when demonstrators clashed with police outside the Israeli consulate.
The consulate, located in the Accenture Building on Madison Street, is near one of the city’s largest commuter rail stations.
Pro-Palestinian protestors confronted police outside the building. Police were prepared and the consulate was heavily secured against attack, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“There is only one solution – Intifada revolution,” protestors chanted.
“Intifada” has historically meant an uprising against Israel.
The protesters walked into a group of police officers, stacked four deep, around 7:30 p.m., the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Police declared the gathering unlawful and told protestors to disperse.
As the protestors chanted anti-police slogans, one masked protester set fire to a half-American, half-Israeli flag. Counterprotestors sang the Israeli national anthem while police kept the two groups separated.
Before Tuesday afternoon, police had made 15 arrests amid demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were arrested or detained Thursday night.