Thousands of people packed SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview to enjoy Palestine Fest as protesters scuffled in the parking lot Sunday afternoon.
The peaceful crowd inside the stadium celebrated Palestinian culture, music and food while a handful of right-wing protesters led by extremist Jake Lang were met by hundreds of counter-protesters in the parking lot.
Among the 8,000 people who enjoyed the celebration was state Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, who lives in Bridgeview.
“Yesterday, thousands of Palestinian families and neighbors from across Chicagoland gathered in Bridgeview for the fourth annual Palestine Fest, a day of music, food, poetry, and the kind of community joy Bridgeview is known for. By every measure, it was a beautiful day,” he said Monday.
Lang was one of the people who attacked the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. He has been organizing anti-Muslim protests around the country.
His caravan was met by hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters waving Palestinian flags and screaming they wouldn’t back down to hate.
Two people received medical care after they were hit by projectiles. Two police officers suffered minor injuries trying to keep the peace between the opposing groups. No arrests were made.
Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek addressed the crowd in the parking lot before the festival started.
“We’re proud to welcome all of you to the fourth annual Palestine Fest. We’re proud to say it’s probably the largest Palestinian-American population in the U.S.
“This fest is a wonderful celebration of that culture. Our job today is to make sure that everyone who comes here will come together safely and to make sure that all logistical matters run smoothly and safely.
“We understand that some individuals plan to exercise their First Amendment rights in the area today. Actually, there’s probably about four different groups. We, of course, respect their constitutional right to free speech. But let me be very, very clear about this. We condemn any hateful message and any mischaracterization of our strong, vibrant, and united community. We will not tolerate violence or other behavior that threatens the safety of our community.”
Bridgeview police were joined by Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Police and officers from neighboring departments to help keep opposing sides apart.
There were a couple of minor incidents that resulted in minor damage to some vehicles brought by Lang’s far-right protesters.
Tempers flared later in the afternoon when Lisa Fleischmann, owner of the Trump Truth Store in Crystal Lake, showed up and argued with some of the pro-Palestinian supporters.