(StraightNews.org) – Chicago police arrested more than 50 people as the city’s Pride parade turned violent. Pride events were held throughout America on June 29, and police say the Chicago rally descended into chaos. Most incidents occurred in the Lakeview area around 12 hours after the official parade ended. Officers responding to violence reports said they were attacked with projectiles and confiscated several firearms from suspects.
Officers told reporters that they detained multiple people on charges including aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated battery against a police officer. One police officer reported being physically attacked by a 20-year-old woman, and another suffered a facial injury. A statement from the Chicago Police Department said that without the responsiveness and attention from their officers, residents and businesses would have endured chaos throughout the night.
In New York, police detained 15 people when a fight broke out at a Pride event in Greenwich Village. New York Police Department (NYPD) said the suspects were charged with offenses including assault, disorderly conduct, and obstructing governmental administration.
Video footage from the event showed one woman coming under attack and being pulled over a barrier by her hair. The same victim was then punched by another party and fell to the ground. Two men were also seen fighting, with one receiving punches and kicks to the face.
Also in New York, anti-Israel protestors disrupted the Pride parade as it moved through the Greenwich Village area. Around a dozen activists sat in the street, preventing the parade from passing through. They held signs reading, “No Queer Liberation Without Palestinian Liberation” and “Palestine Will Be Free.”
Palestinian demonstrators also disrupted proceedings at Pride parades in Philadelphia, Boston, and Denver. In Boston, three people were arrested amid clashes with police, and dozens were likewise detained in the Colorado capital.
The first Pride marches in America took place in 1970 to mark the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots that occurred after police raided a gay bar in Greenwich Village.
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