(The Center Square) – Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling has high praise for his officers after protesters confronted them Tuesday night outside the Democratic National Convention.

Video footage showed protesters burning a U.S. flag and throwing signs at police as they demonstrated outside the Israeli consulate in downtown Chicago.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that the protest group showed up with the intent of committing acts of violence.

“We declared a mass arrest after our officers were physically confronted and attacked,” Snelling said.

Pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago near the Democratic National Convention, calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Police officers were deployed throughout downtown Chicago in response to the protests. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who was attending the DNC, addressed the issue during a press event.

Snelling said female officers did not lose their cool when they were targeted by protesters.

“The vicious, nasty, sexual, sexually-explicit things that were said to those women (were) absolutely disgusting,” Snelling stated.

The superintendent said between 55 and 60 people were arrested, as protests intensified on the second day of the Democratic National Convention.

Some protesters claimed that the police response was overwhelming. Snelling insisted that the response was not excessive.

“The word ‘overwhelming,’ if that’s the word they used, then we were 100% successful, because that’s what we wanted to do,” Snelling said.

Snelling said there were also counter-protests, but they were peaceful.

Three journalists were among those arrested, he said. The superintendent asked media not to place themselves between police and the people they are trying to arrest.

“If you’re not moving, if you’re not complying with our orders at that time, you may be breaking the law yourselves,” Snelling said.