8 pro-Palestinian activists arrested after brawl near Publix following Orlando rally

ORLANDO, Florida. – A pro-Palestinian rally at Lake Eola ended with the arrest of eight protesters Saturday afternoon, according to Orlando police.

In a press release, the police said that the rally began around 4 p.m. 20 people walked peacefully through the area and were monitored by police officers. The rally ended more than an hour later.

But around 5:30 p.m., officers said they responded to a “disturbance” near the Publix store on East Central Boulevard, where they spotted protesters arguing with someone who disagreed.

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“As officers attempted to separate the two parties, a member of the pro-Palestinian protest group lunged at an OPD officer and the opposing citizen in a physically threatening manner,” the press release states. “As a result, the OPD officer arrested the protester for disturbing the peace. Other protesters attempted to prevent the arrest, which led to several altercations.”

Ultimately, eight demonstrators were taken into custody and are accused of, among other things, disturbing the peace, assaulting a police officer, resisting state authority and resisting state authority without violence, police said.

So far, no further information has been provided, including the identity of those arrested.

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