Hundreds of Trump supporters and counter-protesters face off at Berkeley rally

Source: LA Times

April 15, 2017 at 16:39

About two dozen police officers were at the park early Saturday and set up a narrow entrance to control access.

About 500 pro-Trump demonstrators and counter-protesters faced off Saturday morning at a “Patriots Day” rally in Berkeley, where the two groups have violently clashed on city streets twice in the last three months.

About 10 a.m., dozens of counter-protesters dressed in black and wearing masks tore down a plastic netting that separated the two groups in Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. The Trump supporters moved forward with American flags and chants against “communists.”

Two counter-demonstrators were led away by police in handcuffs.

At one point, a loud explosion could be heard in the park and fist fights broke out among members of both groups. Berkeley police, wearing riot helmets, immediately rushed in and the crowd moved back.

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