According to the police, nearly fifty officers were injured by “criminal agitators” who threw bottles at them and set off fireworks during a Friday night protest in Chicago.
The protest occurred in Grant Park, Chicago, where hundreds of demonstrators were seen demanding for the Christopher Columbus statue to be removed and for the police to get defunded.
As some of the protesters became violent and attempted to topple the monument by attaching ropes to it, hordes of police officers were deployed to break up the crowd.
In a police report, the authorities stated that “criminal agitators” began lighting fireworks and throwing bottles at officers in an attempt to get them to back off so that they could tear down the statue.
According to Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown, the protest, which was initially peaceful, turned into a “mob action” whereas the instigators “deliberately sought to injure officers.”
As the superintendent added, people could be killed or seriously injured if they managed to topple the Columbus statue that officers were trying to protect.
Following the faceoff, Brown took to Twitter to share his disappointment over the incident and revealed that 49 Chicago officers were injured. He also confirmed that 12 agitators linked to the battery of police officers and damage to property got arrested.
“We do not want to engage in violent clashes with protesters, but when the law is being broken, our oath demands that we act to uphold the law. The rule of law has always been, and remains today the essence of policing and the foundation of our democracy,” Brown said.
“We deeply respect an individual’s right to peacefully protest and we will do everything we can to protect that right. But, we will not stand by, and in fact we are obligated to act, while City or private property is being damaged or while violent acts are being committed.”
Meanwhile, the Chicago Police Department shared a short video in which a group of people wielding black umbrellas is seen starting a riot by pelting police officers with bottles and fireworks.
“Chicago Police officers had fireworks, frozen water bottles and other projectiles thrown at them in what started as a peaceful protest,” Chicago Police stated.
“49 CPD officers were injured, and 18 were sent to area hospitals for their injuries during this violent mob action.”
Replaced!