Police in suburban Chicago on Wednesday arrested 33 people after they blocked streets for more than six hours outside a company protesters say has a role in the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza, The Associated Press reported.
Seven men and 26 women were charged with misdemeanor unlawful assembly following the protest outside Woodward MPC, the Niles Police Department said in a news release. The company’s website says it makes products for the aerospace and industrial markets.
The 33 protesters were released after being booked, police said, and there were no injuries, according to AP.
About 100 people participated in the protest, WBBM-TV reported.
Anti-Israel protests have been on the rise in the US since the start of the war against Hamas in Gaza on October 7.
On Monday, police took into custody more than 100 people who were protesting the Pennsylvania state government's investments in Israel, shutting down a demonstration on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg.
In late December, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters, who were waving Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and chanting “Free Palestine”, shut down the entrance to the World Trade Center in New York City.
The incident came one day after pro-Palestinian Arab protesters blocked a road to John F. Kennedy International Airport. At least 26 protesters were arrested.
In late November, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters halted traffic in New York City by descending at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.