Amid the glitz and glamour of Art Basel in Miami Beach, tensions flared as two teenagers were taken into police custody during a pro-Palestinian rally. As NBC Miami reports, one of the arrested, a minor whose identity was not disclosed, faces charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence. Amini Mohammad Bairat, 19, was similarly detained for resisting without violence.
The arrests occurred during a demonstration led by Miami-based artists and cultural workers, as well as the anti-militarism youth movement Dissenters and the South Florida Coalition for Palestine. The protesters aimed to loudly call for a permanent ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Visuals from Chopper 6 showed a significant number of participants chanting in the street, aligning their voices with the oppressed, persisting even as two of their numbers were swept away by the hands of law enforcement.
According to WSVN, the rally unfolded at the doorstep of the Miami Beach Convention Center, a focal point for the international art scene during Art Basel. The protesters brandished signs and waved Palestinian flags, their chants of “let Palestine live” marking a stark contrast to the nearby celebrations of culture and commerce.
