Pro-Palestinian agitators accused of being behind a riot on Tuesday are now being charged with “promotion of anarchy” after the melee left several officers injured.

The Boston Herald reported that the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office on Thursday upgraded charges for all 13 suspects, who are now accused of violating a state law that makes “promotion of anarchy” illegal and is a felony charge, according to court documents.

On Tuesday night, between 200 and 300 people participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in downtown Boston that quickly descended into a riot. Thirteen people were arrested after police allege they became violent toward law enforcement officers.

A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told the Herald that the upgraded charges come after a Boston Police Department review of posters promoting the so-called protest, which feature a quote from a Hamas spokesperson and a burning police cruiser.

A court officer clears the area outside of a courtroom, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at Boston Municipal Court, where arraignments were held for people arrested at a pro-Palestinian melee in Boston. (Mark Stockwell/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden sent a message to future protesters in a statement on Wednesday: remain peaceful or face prosecution.

“These defendants were not in court today because they were protesting,” Hayden said. “They were in court because they committed crimes. If you assault police and commit other offenses, you’re going to be arrested and prosecuted, period.”

“Peaceful protests happen all the time in this city,” he said. “We support everyone’s right to protest. But these individuals chose against protesting peacefully, and they are now facing the consequences of those choices.”

According to Boston.com, the initial protest was organized by local Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, which coincided with the two-year mark of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas.

The protest was intended to “flood downtown for Palestine.”

According to the report, people yelled “F— you, Nazis” and “BPD is KKK” as they refused to leave the area.