The violence broke out on Tuesday night amid clashes between police and protesters outside Chicago's Accenture Tower, which houses the diplomatic mission, with a spokesman for the National Lawyers Guild saying at least 67 people, including two journalists, were taken into custody.
The demonstration, organized by Behind Enemy Lines group, saw protesters chanting and banging on drums as one participant set an American flag alight on the street over the administration of US President Joe Biden’s unbridled support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
As police officers loaded a group of detainees into the van, some of them reportedly chanted "free Palestine" in a call-and-response with supporters standing to the side outside the police line.
Among those arrested was photographer Sinna Nasseri, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and New York Times.
The arrests took place on the same night as Democratic National Convention (DNC) delegates formally nominated Kamala Harris as the party's presidential nominee.
Chicago was witness to a wide range of rallies by Behind Enemy Lines in support of Palestinians in Gaza and in denunciation of the Biden administration's backing for Israel during the nominating convention The rallies demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as an arms embargo on the occupying regime.
"Whether it’s Genocide Joe, or Killer Kamala, the butchers of Gaza cannot be allowed to gather in Chicago undisturbed," the group said on its website.
MNA/PR
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