Pro-Palestinian rallies held in Minneapolis, Illinois and New York City over the weekend
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As tensions flare in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war, pro-Palestinian rallies across multiple U.S. cities over the weekend unraveled into unrest and chaos.
In Minneapolis, supporters at a pro-Palestine rally blocked traffic along the streets near a pedestrian bridge Sunday afternoon when police responded to multiple reports of disturbances, FOX9 Minneapolis reported.
At some point, a vehicle drove through the crowd of protesters, police told the outlet.
Some of the protesters chased after the driver, kicking the car at a traffic light, according to the station. The vehicle then reversed and sped away across a median crosswalk.
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Supporters at a pro-Palestine rally gathered near a pedestrian bridge on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. (FOX9 Minneapolis KMSP)
Police said no injuries were reported in the incident.
Pro-Palestinian supporters lined streets in Minneapolis and held signs. (FOX9 Minneapolis KMSP)
In Illinois, a gunshot was fired into the air, and a crowd was maced as a pro-Palestine rally faced off with an Israeli solidarity event in Skokie, according to local reports.
The Israeli solidarity event was being held at a banquet hall in Skokie. About 200 pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the event around 5 p.m., FOX32 Chicago reported.
Pro-Palestinian groups originally planned to protest at Federal Plaza, but moved to Skokie upon learning of the Israeli solidarity event, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. U.S. Palestinian Community Network National Chair Hatem Abudayyeh said the group moved the protest because the Jewish groups "must be confronted as the racist apologists for Israel that they are," the report said.
Skokie police said "several disturbances" broke out on the perimeter of the event, the newspaper reported. No one was injured by the gunshot, according to police, though another protester was struck in a separate hit-and-run and suffered non-serious injuries.
Those leaving the Israeli solidarity event exchanged heated words with the pro-Palestinian protesters, according to the newspaper. At some point, a man reportedly sprayed mace into the crowd.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protests in New York City on Saturday resulted in more than a dozen arrests, WABC-TV reported.
Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police in New York City in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on Saturday. (FreedomNewsTV)
The rally was held in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with many supporting of a ceasefire in the Middle East. As the protest continued into the evening, chaos began to unfold between the protesters and police.
Officers ordered protesters out of the roadway as some protesters pushed and shoved officers, striking some officers with flying debris including eggs, fireworks and bottles, an NYPD spokesperson told WPIX-TV.
The Israel-Hamas war entered its 17th day on Monday.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage into southern Israel. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Monday that at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
