Pro-Palestine protest leads to mace, arrests in Orlando Florida

Police clashed with pro-Palestine protesters Saturday afternoon at Lake Eola Park in Orlando, Florida. Officers deployed pepper spray against the crowd and made at least two arrests.

Before the escalation, protesters had been warned not to use a megaphone by officers, and complied. Eventually, one activist began using a megaphone and was told to stop by others concerned about the prior warning. The officers pushed in despite the protesters' self-policing.

One activist appeared to hit an officer with a sign as the officer put his hands around the neck of another activist.

Police began dawning gas masks as protesters yelled "shame" at them!

Two indigenous protesters tried to de-escalating, telling officers not to "gas a bunch of unarmed kids."

The rally attendees marched away. Officers had them closed in but allowed people to leave if they're going to "get out of here."

A police liaison for the pro-Palestine demonstrators explained the situation that led to the arrests and bare mace:

Officers had warned some of the protesters against the use of a megaphone and moved in to arrest when one person used theirs.

A protester going by Owl described their perspective: "We were here peacefully... I see the police pepper spraying people, and not just people, children."

"We weren't even in the road, we were disrupting nobody."

Filmed by David Decker for News2Share

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