Four officers injured, 13 arrested at pro-Palestinian Boston protest

Thirteen people were arrested and four Boston police officers were injured after a pro‑Palestinian demonstration in and near Boston Common on Tuesday evening turned violent, officials said. The confrontation occurred as demonstrators moved from the Common toward the intersection of Tremont and Winter streets just after 6:45 p.m., and escalated when officers attempted to clear the street to allow emergency vehicles to pass, police said.

Boston police said the crowd, estimated at 200 to 300 people, refused to move from the roadway, surrounded police cruisers and kicked vehicle doors. Officers reported protesters set off smoke devices and flares that produced red smoke, and at least one person sprayed pepper spray at officers. Four officers were taken to local hospitals; injuries included a broken nose that prosecutors say will likely require reconstructive surgery, pepper spray exposure, a finger injury sustained while handcuffing and a lower back injury. No protesters were reported injured, according to the police spokesperson.

Thirteen people, eight men and five women ranging in age from 19 to 28, were arrested at the scene and initially charged with resisting arrest, disorderly...