- Two Pro-Israeli protestors were arrested for discharging a firearm and using pepper spray at a Palestinian solidarity event near Chicago, amid clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters.
- The incident took place outside a Skokie banquet hall with 1,000 attendees supporting Israel, resulting in injuries from the pepper spray but no serious harm.
Two pro-Israeli protestors were arrested following an incident in which, according to the police, one man discharged a firearm into the air and another used pepper spray on pro-Palestinian demonstrators in close proximity to an event in support of Israel held in the northern suburbs of Chicago. This occurrence unfolded on a Sunday evening near a banquet hall in Skokie, where approximately 1,000 individuals had congregated to express solidarity with Israel, as stated by the event’s organizers.
A contingent of roughly 200 pro-Palestinian protesters organized their own gathering near the venue. The Israeli supporter purportedly drove his vehicle into the group, exited the car, and fired a gunshot before being taken into custody by the police. A witness informed the Chicago Sun-Times that the vehicle had been adorned with Israeli flags.
Furthermore, a man exiting the banquet hall, draped in an Israeli flag as a cape, dispersed pepper spray into the crowd prior to his arrest. While no one sustained serious injuries during the commotion, the pepper spray affected multiple protesters, a Chicago police officer, and a reporter from the Sun-Times.
Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, stated in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday that his organization, in conjunction with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, had orchestrated the protest to counter Israeli aggression. He recounted hearing the gunshot and witnessing the individual’s pepper spray attack on the crowd.
“This is a concern we’re having across the country,” Abudayyeh said. “Palestinians, whether at protests or living their daily lives, are being attacked.”
He said that U.S. pro-Israeli political leaders were exacerbating tensions.
“Not only do we have to work 24 hours a day to help educate the American public … we also have to defend our community from physical attacks on their lives,” he said.
