Chicago – June 29, 2024
Scores of pro-Palestinian protesters threw smoke bombs and clashed with police as they attempted to disrupt a high-profile fundraiser for President Joe Biden. This incident occurred shortly after Biden’s first debate with former President Donald Trump, officials reported on Saturday.
Waving Palestinian flags and holding signs that read “Joe Biden — retire b—!” the protesters gathered outside the Hammerstein Ballroom on West 34th Street near Eighth Avenue in Midtown at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Inside, Biden supporters paid up to $500,000 per table for the fundraiser.
According to police, the protesters initially assembled at Madison Square Park before marching north and west to the event location. Officers stopped the protesters about a block away.
As the protesters threw smoke bombs, police clashed with them, taking 37 people into custody, said a New York City Police Department spokesperson. No injuries were reported.
Videos posted online show police in riot gear and demonstrators, many wearing surgical masks or headscarves, shoving each other in the smoke. Biden, 81, left the event within two hours and did not come face-to-face with the protesters.
