‘Week of rage’: How a pro-Palestinian protest turned into a clash with Boston police
A pro-Palestinian protest in downtown Boston Tuesday night, intended to mark the second anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel, turned violent when police arrived and attempted to clear the area , according to a police report.
Police were in the area of Boston Common ahead of the protest, which had been advertised on social media as part of a "week of rage," Officer Zachary Crossen wrote in a report, a redacted copy of which was provided to MassLive.
At 6:46 p.m. Tuesday, officers from the Drug Control Unit declared an "officer in trouble" while attempting to make a drug arrest in the broader downtown area. When officers attempted to assist the drug unit, they encountered the protesters, who resisted efforts to make room for police cruisers.
Crossen describes a scene of roughly 200-300 protesters, many of whom wore facial coverings and gloves, chanting at the intersection of Tremont and Winter streets. The group refused to move from the street, preventing police from responding to the officer in trouble. Officers on scene tried to move the protesters out of the middle of the street to make way for the cruisers, but the group refused, Crossen wrote.
Instead, protesters began to surround the cruisers, kicking the doors with their boots.
At that point, officers were forced to "physically move the protesters back using crowd control techniques when they were immediately met by force and resistance."
An officer with the bike unit was hit in the face and broke his nose. Another officer was hit with what appeared to be pepper spray by one of the protesters, temporarily incapacitating them, according to the report.
At that point, an officer deployed her pepper spray at protesters who were assaulting officers, Crossen wrote. Another protester lit a red smoke canister and red flare, filling the area with colorful smoke, making it difficult for police to breathe and see clearly, according to the report.
Officers attempted to arrest several protesters, but were "immediately met with more violence and resistance from other protesters, who appeared to be trying to free their fellow protesters from police custody."
Police quickly declared an officer-in-trouble incident in the area, with the roughly 20 officers on-scene outnumbered by the "rioting protesters," Crossen wrote.
Seconds later, more police descended on Tremont and Winter streets, where they ordered protesters to disperse. They were greeted by chants of "[expletive] you Nazis" and "BPD is KKK," according to the report.
"These vulgar chants were heard by the hundreds of pedestrians who were commuting home from work or who were attempting to enjoy the evening by the Boston Common," Crossen wrote.
Police continued to try and break up the protesters, who had locked arms to try and prevent officers from clearing the street, according to the report. Officers were forced to "physically move the protesters, which caused the protesters to fight back," the report reads. As they fought, police began handcuffing protesters and taking them into custody.
"During the incident, many officers had their hats knocked off their head, radios pulled from their duty belts, body-worn cameras unclipped from their vests, and other equipment dislodged from their belts," Crossen wrote.
Following the protest, four officers were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. One officer had a broken nose and had his glasses broken, another was treated for pepper spray exposure, one sustained a finger injury while handcuffing and another sustained a lower back injury attempting to make an arrest.
In all, 13 people were arrested Tuesday night, including eight men and five women ages 19 to 28. They were all charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.
Roder Atwood, 21, of Somerville, is the only one currently facing the additional charges of assault and battery on a police officer and destruction of property.
The protesters arrested are expected to appear in a Boston courthouse for arraignments on Monday morning.
It's not the first time police have clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in downtown Boston. Last year, more than 100 people were arrested at Emerson College after police dismantled an encampment set up by students in an alleyway.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association condemned the incident.
"Yet another example of so-called peaceful protesters who think it's okay to attack police officers. Again, we say a strong message must be sent and those responsible for the violence must be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the association wrote on Facebook . "The fact that any protester thinks it's okay to create chaos in our city by attacking our police officers and blocking intersections is entirely unlawful, unacceptable, dangerous, and immensely disrespectful to the people of Boston."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also called to have those involved in the attacks "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"We are extremely grateful for the work of the Boston Police in keeping the city safe and in supporting the right to peacefully protest. Boston will not tolerate violence, and we categorically condemn those who came into our community to attack our police officers. The individuals who engaged in these attacks must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Wu said in a statement.
The Berkeley Beacon , Emerson College's student-run newspaper, captured video of the incident.
In the video, police officers could be seen pushing people away from police vehicles as others were arrested. At another point, multiple officers could be seen working together to arrest a person as they were on the ground.
"Get off of them," one woman shouts as she video records the incident.
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