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13 arrested, 4 police officers injured at pro-Palestinian protest in Boston
Officials say the demonstration turned violent after protesters refused to clear the roadway and surrounded police cruisers.
Thirteen people were arrested in downtown Boston Tuesday night after a pro-Palestinian demonstration turned violent — a chaotic scene that also left four Boston police officers injured, according to officials.
Boston police said a group of between 200 to 300 protesters blocked Tremont Street near Winter Street around 6:46 p.m., while officers were responding to an unrelated emergency three blocks away.
“When officers attempted to move the group to the sidewalk to allow emergency vehicles to pass, protesters surrounded police cruisers, kicked vehicle doors, and resisted dispersal efforts,” the department said in a statement. “Several officers were assaulted during this period, including one struck in the face. Protesters also ignited smoke devices and flares, further endangering officers and bystanders.”
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Four officers were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not life threatening. Boston police said none of the individuals arrested Tuesday required medical attention.
Those arrested range in age from 19 to 28 years old. They are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges that include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and assault and battery on a police officer, among other counts.
The demonstration coincided with the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel that incited a devastating war in Gaza. Intended to “flood downtown for Palestine,” the rally began around 5:30 p.m. and was organized by several local Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, per Emerson College student newspaper The Berkeley Beacon, which filmed some of the ensuing melee.
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A flyer for the rally posted to social media featured a burning police cruiser.
According to Boston police, many of the protesters wore facial coverings and gloves, locked their arms, and chanted through bullhorns while refusing to clear the roadway. The department said officers also reported that some police equipment — including body-worn cameras, radios, and bicycles — was forcibly removed or damaged in the scuffle.
“As violence escalated, additional police resources were deployed to the intersection of Tremont and Winter Streets, where protesters continued to resist dispersal,” Boston police said. “Officers engaged in crowd control to restore order and effect lawful arrests.”
What Boston police say happened
According to a Boston Police Department report, officers from the Drug Control Unit called in an “officer in trouble” report shortly before 7 p.m. while trying to make an unrelated drug arrest near 10 Avery St. Officers who attempted to assist in the drug arrest encountered protesters blocking the way, per the report.
“The protesters refused to move from Tremont Street and intentionally blocked the cruisers from responding to the incident, all while beginning to surround the police cars and kicking the cruiser doors with their boots,” the report states.
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A protester allegedly struck a bicycle officer in the face, breaking his nose. Another officer was temporarily incapacitated after a protester unleashed what appeared to be pepper spray, according to the report. Boston police said someone else in the crowd lit a red smoke canister and road flare that filled the area with colorful smoke, making it difficult for authorities to breathe or see clearly.
One of the officers at the scene also deployed her department-issued pepper spray at protesters who were purportedly assaulting police. And when police tried to arrest several suspects, they “were immediately met with more violence and resistance from other protesters who appeared to be trying to free their fellow protesters from police custody,” the report states.
Video clips posted online show police officers tangling with demonstrators on the ground and shoving people both out of the roadway and away from other protesters who were being detained. In the background, crowds can be heard chanting “get off of them” and “Free Palestine.”
By then, Boston police said, the approximately 20 officers at the scene were “outnumbered tenfold by the now rioting protesters.” The crowd allegedly refused to clear the area, chanting “F*** you, Nazis” and “BPD is KKK,” according to the report.
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“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 Commons, many of whom included elderly people and children,” the report states.
One of the injured officers had his nose and glasses broken, another was treated for pepper spray exposure to the face and eyes, and a third injured their finger while handcuffing someone, according to the report. The fourth injured officer hurt their lower back carrying a suspect to a police wagon during an arrest.
Public officials react
The incident prompted swift condemnation from Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone, who issued a statement decrying “another night of violence against police in Boston.” The union also called out “so-called peaceful protesters who think it’s okay to attack police officers.”
“Our officers were attacked, assaulted and sent to the hospital with injuries. Completely despicable and totally unacceptable,” Calderone said. “It’s happening far too often with no repercussions. Something has to change and that something starts with prosecuting those who attack police to the fullest extent of the law.”
City Councilor Ed Flynn likewise called for anyone charged with assaulting a police officer to be “held on high cash bail” and face a state prison sentence if convicted.
“Zero tolerance must be our policy for criminal activity!” Flynn wrote on social media.
Mayor Michelle Wu echoed Flynn, also calling for the “individuals who engaged in these attacks” to be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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“We are extremely grateful for the work of the Boston Police in keeping the city safe and in supporting the right to peacefully protest,” Wu said in a statement. “Boston will not tolerate violence, and we categorically condemn those who came into our community to attack our police officers.”
@lavender.m3nace FREE PALESTINE 10/7 Boston Common – BOSTON, MA ✊🏼🇵🇸♥️💚🤍🖤🍉 #fyp #freepalestine #protest #massachusettscheck #bostonma ♬ original sound – 🫠
City Councilor Erin Murphy offered similar words.
“Violence against law enforcement or any first responder has no place in our city,” she said in a statement. “We can and must allow people to express their views peacefully, but crossing the line into assault and destruction helps no cause and only harms our community.”
Gov. Maura Healey also weighed in Wednesday during the annual Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony at the State House.
“I believe in free speech. I believe in the right to protest. We’ve been doing it for 250 years here in Massachusetts,” Healey said, according to The Boston Globe.
“What I do not accept are attacks on police officers, men and women, who are simply there on the scene to try to ensure the exercise of a peaceful right to protest and to keep the public safe,” she added. “My commitment is to stand with the men and women who do the difficult and dangerous work out there every single day.”
Several defendants held on bail
Twelve of the people arrested Tuesday are charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace, according to Boston police. They include: Osama Khatib, 26, of Watertown; Atalanta Carrig-Braun, 20, of Boston; Haley MacIntyre, 24, of Dorchester; Madeline Weikel, 27, of Watertown; Jacob Pettigrew, 22, of Malden; Amun Prophet, 25, of Allston; Laith Hintzman, 19, of Boston; Benjamin Choucroun, 20, of Medford; Owen Woodcock, 26, of Boston; Prahlad Iyengar, 25, of Boston; Styx Hatch, 19, of Boston; and Gabrielle Smith, 28, of Cambridge.
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Hatch, Carrig-Braun, Smith, and Iyengar were also charged with interfering with a police officer, court records show.
A 13th person, 21-year-old Somerville resident Roder Atwood, is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, malicious destruction of property, assault and battery on a police officer, and assault and battery on a police officer resulting in serious bodily injury. Boston police allege Atwood was the protester who struck the bicycle officer in the face, breaking his nose and glasses.
Atwood pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday and was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail, due back in court Oct. 30 for a probable cause hearing.
Woodcock and Prophet both pleaded not guilty and were held on $1,000 cash bail, due back in court Oct. 30. Hintzman, Choucroun, and Iyengar also pleaded not guilty and were held on $500 cash bail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 30 as well.
Khatib, Carrig-Braun, MacIntyre, Weikel, Pettigrew, Hatch, and Smith are all scheduled for arraignment Thursday morning.
An attorney for Atwood declined to comment on the allegations Wednesday afternoon. Attorney information for the remaining defendants was not immediately available.
Boston police said the investigation into Tuesday’s incident remains active and ongoing. The department is asking anyone with relevant information, photos, or videos to contact detectives at 617-343-4571 or provide information anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or by texting the word “TIP” to “CRIME” (27463).
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