Three people were arrested when pro-Palestinian protesters showed up to a Jewish organization’s event at Town Hall in Seattle on Sunday, eventually leading to a brawl.
According to The Seattle Times, dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators showed up. The event was hosted by StandWithUs Northwest, a Jewish group that fights “rising antisemitism, hate, and misinformation online.”
Things escalated when a protester wearing a plastic bag as a mask got into a shoving match with an attendee. The attendee tried to pull the bag off the protester’s head, leading to the protester punching him in the jaw.
The protesters represented the Seattle Palestine Action Network. The group organized a protest at the town hall meeting after learning that Noa Cochva, a former combat medic with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was the keynote speaker. After serving with the IDF, Cochva was Miss Israel in 2021 and represented the country at that year’s Miss Universe before becoming an influencer and public speaker.
In addition to three arrests, police used pepper spray to push the crowd away from the entrance. Police eventually forced the crowd away from the entrance so attendees could leave. The crowd grew to approximately 75 people before it was dispersed.
The commotion de-escalated by 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Casey McNerthney, the communications director for the King County Prosecutor’s Office, told KIRO Newsradio we should find out soon if this will be treated as a misdemeanor or a felony.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
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