Violence, arrests at Berkeley rally

Police eventually arrested about ten people by the time the rally came to an end.

A “Peace, Love and Understanding” rally at the Civic Center Plaza drew huge crowds, with no violent incidents. A woman who allegedly assaulted a photographer was also arrested, along with two men who exchanged blows.

Arthur Schaller of Los Angeles County handed out cards with American flags on it as he told people the movement was bigger than Joey Gibson, the organizer of the “Patriot Prayer” rally. Gibson was placed in handcuffs after being chased, hit and pepper-sprayed by a mob of black-clad demonstrators.

The crowd began to diminish around 3:30 p.m., six hours after a march led to the protests.

Several thousands protesters converged on to the historically progressive university town of Berkeley, California, on Sunday for a “Rally Against Hate” in response to planned right-wing rallies over the weekend that were canceled over concerns of potential violence.

Campus police made a decision to block off the area and limit access, something UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said is about protecting people.

Portland, Oregon-based Patriot Prayer has a permit to host a 2 p.m. “freedom rally” Saturday at Crissy Field, despite the vociferous objections of San Francisco’s Mayor Ed Lee and other Democratic leaders who say the group invites hate.

“They are about normalizing hatred and violence” toward immigrants, LGBT and other groups, Nate Dahl, the City of Berkeley chapter president of SEIU Local 1021, said in a statement.

The protesters came out against a rally a right-wing group was supposed to hold against Marxism in America.

At least one of those attacked was a right-wing male protester who showed up for a “Rally Against Hate” event where anti-rally protesters vastly outnumbered the rally’s supporters.

A Facebook page encourages protesters to let their dogs loose Friday and Saturday morning at the park near the Golden Gate Bridge and not pick up after them.

Anti-racist demonstrators take to the streets despite rally cancellation by the right-wing Patriot Prayer group.

Protesters marched against white supremacists and faced off with riot police in San Francisco on Saturday.

Pro-Trump activists called off a “No Marxism in America” rally that was planned for Berkeley’s Civic Center Park on Sunday, after police issued strict rules including searches for banned items such as weapons, helmets and even water bottles. People at the park are also not allowed to cover their faces with scarves or bandanas.

However, protesters with an anarchist group arrived at the park wearing masks and hoods that covered their faces. Then the group blended in with the rest of the crowd. Those uniformed officers did not respond to those provocations, retreating back from Civic Center Park after it became clear that the right’s anti-Marxist brigades would be a no-show. According to city officials, they denied at least three requests for permits, the Times reported.