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Between 200 to 300 individuals gathered for a demonstration in downtown Boston on Tuesday night. What started as a pro-Palestinian protest escalated into a riot.
Police reported that 13 individuals were arrested after members of the group exhibited violence towards officers, and the demonstrators blocked an intersection.
The Boston Police Department detailed that, as officers tried to move the protesters onto the sidewalk to allow safe passage for emergency vehicles, the demonstrators encircled police cruisers, kicked vehicle doors, and resisted officers’ attempts to disperse them. During this time, several officers were assaulted, including one who was hit in the face. Protesters also set off smoke devices and flares, further putting officers and bystanders at risk, according to the statement.
Police said “as violence escalated,” more officers were deployed to the area while agitators “continued to resist dispersal.”
Police detain a pro-Palestinian rioter on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Boston. (Bryan Hecht/The Berkeley Beacon via AP)
As reported by Boston.com, the original protest was arranged by local Students for Justice in Palestine groups to mark the two-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack carried out by Hamas.
The protest was intended to “flood downtown for Palestine.”
According to the report, people yelled “F— you, Nazis” and “BPD is KKK” as they refused to leave the area.
A court officer clears the area outside a courtroom, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at Boston Municipal Court, where people arrested at the pro-Palestinian demonstration faced arraignments. (Mark Stockwell/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
In a statement, Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu said that those who engaged in attacks on police will be prosecuted to the “fullest extent of the law.”
Mayor Wu expressed gratitude for the efforts of the Boston Police to ensure the city’s safety while respecting the right to protest peacefully. “Boston will not tolerate violence, and we categorically condemn those who entered our community to attack our police officers. The individuals involved in these actions must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Wu stated.
Protesters on Wednesday also showed up to the arraignments of those who were arrested during the riot on Tuesday night, according to the Boston Herald.
