By Kyle Swenson, Morning Mix, August 28, 2017<\/p>\n
Their faces hidden behind black bandannas and hoodies, about a 100 anarchists and antifa\u00a0\u2014 \u201canti-fascist\u201d\u00a0\u2014 barreled\u00a0into a protest Sunday\u00a0afternoon in Berkeley\u2019s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park.<\/p>\n
Jumping over plastic and concrete barriers, the group melted into a larger crowd of around 2,000 that had marched peacefully throughout the sunny afternoon for a \u201cRally Against Hate\u201d gathering.<\/p>\n
Shortly after, violence began to flare. A pepper-spray wielding Trump supporter was smacked to the ground with homemade shields<\/a>. Another was attacked by five black-clad antifas<\/a>, each windmilling kicks and punches into a man desperately trying to protect himself. A conservative group leader retreated\u00a0for safety<\/a> behind a line of riot police as marchers chucked water bottles, shot off pepper spray and screamed \u201cfascist go home!\u201d<\/p>\n All told,\u00a0the Associated Press reported<\/a> at least five individuals were attacked. An\u00a0AP reporter witnessed<\/a>\u00a0the assaults.\u00a0Berkeley Police\u2019s Lt. Joe Okies told\u00a0The Washington Post the rally resulted in \u201c13 arrests on a range of charges including assault with a deadly weapon, obstructing a police officer, and various Berkeley municipal code violations.\u201d<\/p>\n And although the anti-hate and left-wing protesters largely drowned out the smaller clutch of far-right marchers attending a planned\u00a0\u201cNo to Marxism in America\u201d rally, Sunday\u2019s confrontation marked another street brawl between opposing ends of the political spectrum\u00a0\u2014 violence that has become a regular feature of the Trump years and gives signs of spiraling upward, particularly in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville.<\/p>\n \u201cI applaud the more than 7,000 people who came out today to peacefully oppose bigotry, hatred and racism that we saw on display in Charlottesville,\u201d Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arregu\u00edn said in a statement. \u201d \u2026 However, the violence that small group of protesters engaged in against residents and the police, including throwing smoke bombs, is unacceptable. Fighting hate with hate does not work and only makes each side more entrenched in their ideological camps.\u201d<\/p>\n Last May, 150 similarly black-clad agitators\u00a0caused $100,000 worth of damage when they smashed through Berkeley protesting a University of California Berkeley speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Portland, Ore., has been the scene of street battles between antifa and white nationalists this summer<\/a>. White nationalist Richard Spencer was sucker-punched by a protester in a January video that went viral<\/a>.\u00a0And Inauguration Day 2017 in Washington, D.C., was marked by violence when masked protesters burned vehicles, smashed windows and clashed with police, leading to 231 arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Sunday, police in Berkeley maintained a strict perimeter around the area in the beginning of the afternoon, including enforcing an emergency city rule outlawing sticks and other potential weapons from the park. Fifty officers were spread out at the area\u2019s four entrances, according to The Daily Californian<\/a>.<\/p>\n But antifa protesters \u2014 armed with sticks and shields, and clad in shin pads and gloves \u2014\u00a0largely routed the security checks and by 1:30 p.m. police reportedly left the security line at the Center Street and Milvaia Street entrance to the park.\u00a0Berkeley police chief Andrew\u00a0Greenwood told the AP the decision was strategic\u00a0\u2014 a confrontation was sure to spark more violence between the protesters and police.<\/p>\n \u201cNo need for a confrontation over a grass patch,\u201d Greenwood said.<\/p>\n Joey Gibson was among the right-wing activists assaulted on Sunday. Gibson, the leader of the Oregon-based Patriot Prayer group, had planned to hold a \u201cFreedom Rally\u201d at Crissy Field Beach. Gibson previously told the L.A. Times<\/a> his group was not\u00a0\u201cwhite supremacist\u201d but \u201cfeared that extreme or racist figures might try to co-opt his event.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet, as with other planned\u00a0right-wing events in the wake of Charlottesville, Saturday\u2019s rally drew controversy in the San Francisco area, with one group stockpiling dog feces to lay at the scene on Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last Friday, Gibson canceled the event due to the mounting pressure. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem safe, a lot of people\u2019s lives are going to be in danger tomorrow,\u201d he told Unite America First.<\/p>\n Attention shifted to Sunday\u2019s \u201cNo to Marxism in America\u201d event. However, last week, that event\u2019s organizer, Amber Cummings, also signaled the event was off due to the growing tensions.\u00a0\u201cI stress I DO NOT WANT ANYONE COMING and if they do you will be turned away, I\u2019m sorry for this but I want this event to happen peacefully and I do not want to risk anyone getting harmed by terrorists,\u201d Cummings wrote online, according to NBC Bay Area.<\/a><\/p>\n On Sunday, Cummings reportedly did not appear for her event, and anti-hate marchers far outnumbered the right-wing element that did make an appearance, the AP reported.<\/a><\/p>\n Although Gibson was reportedly seen being taken into custody, on Sunday the Patriot Prayer Facebook<\/a>\u00a0page stated \u201cJoey is NOT in jail, and has NOT been arrested. He was cuffed and released after being shoved through the police line.\u201d Gibson did not reply to a Facebook message seeking comment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just puzzled as to why people consider violence a valid tactic,\u201d Berkeley resident Kristin Leiumkuhler, 60,\u00a0told SFGATE.<\/a> She, like others had turned out with neighbors for a peaceful rally but left when things got ugly. \u201cWe felt disappointed and surprised by how many people were not in any way discreet about being with antifa \u2014 in fact being very bold and prepared to be violent.\u201d<\/p>\n