A Dorchester woman was arraigned Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a police officer while protesting during a Boston City Hall press conference, the district attorney’s office said.
Catherine Vitale, 31, was arraigned at the Boston Municipal Court for disturbing the police and assault and battery on a police officer, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said in a statement.
She was released on personal recognizance.
“The right to protest and to dissent are central to our democracy and will be protected,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in the statement. “Physical assaults, however, are not a valid form of protest.”
Vitale and a second person, who was not identified, were shouting through megaphones at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday to interrupt a press conference at City Hall about Boston Marathon security measures, officials said.
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Police escorted them outside to City Hall Plaza where a crowd gathered around them while they continued to shout through the megaphone, the statement said. An employee of a local business asked police to stop the pair because they were causing a disruption.
After police tried to stop Vitale and the second person, Vitale allegedly pushed an officer in an attempt to get back into City Hall, the office said. Vitale allegedly continued to push the officer after she was warned she could be arrested.
Vitale will return to court on May 13.
Madison Mercado can be reached at madison.mercado@globe.com.