Protests Turn Violent in Berkeley; 13 Arrested Right-wing events in the Bay Area failed to materialize but sparked left-wing marches By Ian Lovett and Patience Haggin
https://www.wsj.com/articles/protests-turn-violent-in-berkeley-13-arrested-1503881821?cx_navSource=cx_newsReel&cx_tag=collabctx&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s
BERKELEY, Calif.—A mass protest opposing a right-wing rally that had been planned here turned violent on Sunday, as black-clad activists clashed with a handful of conservative demonstrators.
The protest, which drew thousands of people chanting anti-fascist slogans and denouncing white supremacists, was the second major action in the Bay Area by left-wing groups this weekend.
Several thousand protesters also gathered in San Francisco on Saturday, in response to a conservative group’s plans to hold a rally there. Both right-wing rallies were ultimately canceled, with organizers citing fears of violence against their supporters.
While Saturday’s events were mostly peaceful, they turned violent Sunday, leading to several arrests in Berkeley.
Protesters dressed in black, some carrying shields, attacked Joey Gibson, organizer of the conservative group Patriot Prayer, on Sunday according to videos posted online. Mr. Gibson, who had canceled a Saturday event in San Francisco, appeared to have been arrested later Sunday, according to videos posted online.
The Berkeley police said 13 people were arrested on Sunday afternoon but the department couldn’t confirm the names of those arrested.
Mr. Gibson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The events echoed similar protests that turned violent in Berkeley on March 4 and April 15.
Police had braced for a potentially violent showdown in San Francisco this weekend between left- and right-wing activists, but any direct conflict was largely muted by the cancellation of several of the planned right-wing events. Several thousand protesters marched through streets in the city on Saturday.
Mr. Gibson had organized a “Freedom Rally” to take place in San Francisco’s Crissy Field, which is operated by the National Park Service. On Friday, Mr. Gibson canceled the event, citing fears of violence from left-wing protesters, and said he would instead hold an event in a San Francisco public park.
But police closed the park off entirely on Saturday morning. Left-wing protesters then took over a nearby block and marched through the streets with a police escort, aiming their ire at President Donald Trump as well as the right-wing groups.
“We’re going to deny space to Nazis,” said Mike Selden, a member of Democratic Socialists of America’s San Francisco chapter. “The idea is to get them to cancel. This is an ideal outcome. No one had to get violent, and we showed we’re not going to accept fascism.”
Mr. Gibson blamed local and federal authorities for his decision to cancel the events. In a video posted on his Facebook account, he said the city’s actions “felt like a setup.” He said police told him they would allow about 50 of his supporters into the public park, while other supporters would remain outside, where they risked enduring violence from left-wing protesters and anarchists. CONTINUE AT SITE
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