Several people arrested after participating in pro-Palestinian protests – NBC10 Philadelphia

Several people were arrested on Thursday evening while taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest rally in front of City Hall.

NBC10 cameras captured parts of the protests, showing a large group of people marching through downtown with Palestinian flags.

The large group of people was initially seen blocking streets and marching near Ludlow Street and 18th Street.

Several carried signs calling for a ceasefire, as the protest initially appeared peaceful.

At times it seemed as if some of the protesters had thrown smoke bombs.

Police from the bicycle unit were on site to assist officers with arrests and crowd control.

Then our cameras captured the moment when officers arrested one person and another protester chased after them, wearing a Palestinian flag as a cloak.

The person wearing the cape was then seen fighting with officers while the other person escaped.

A person filming this incident could be seen being shoulder-shoved from behind by a police officer, nearly causing him to fall to the ground. Several police officers then gathered and confronted the protesters who were nearby.

Many protesters were eventually arrested and escorted to police cars.

When we contacted the Philadelphia Police Department, they had no information to share with NBC10.