A Trump supporter was caught on tape punching a female anti-Trump protestor as violence erupted today in Berkeley, California.
Sixteen people have been arrested so far as Trump supporters and opponents clashed during a pro-Trump rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. Over 250 Berkeley police officers were called to the scene.
Absolutely chaotic scenes in Berkeley where pro- & anti-Trump protesters are clashing. @BuzzFeedNews also on scene: https://t.co/GHfElQPq6U pic.twitter.com/XX5mR0s7LC
— David Mack (@davidmackau) April 15, 2017
According to the LA Times, “fireworks and smoke bombs were thrown into the crowd, and a few demonstrators were doused with pepper spray. Both groups threw rocks and sticks at each other and used a large trash bin as a battering ram as the crowd moved around the perimeter of the park.”
Here are some of the prohibited items that have already removed from the park today. https://t.co/3qx3smYwgk pic.twitter.com/A70VCxFYEu
— Berkeley Police (@berkeleypolice) April 15, 2017
One of the attendees said of the rally, “This is more of a riot.”
This is not the first time that Berkeley has attracted violence stemming from the current political climate. In March, almost a dozen people were arrested after another pro-Trump rally turned violent. A month earlier, when Breitbart’s Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak at UC Berkeley, protests again broke out.
With Trump’s campaign built on xenophobic, racist, and sexist ideals, it should come as no surprise that dangerous white nationalists have grown so emboldened since the start of his presidency. With ever more violence erupting in his name, this is a far cry from Trump’s claim that he will be a “President for all Americans.”
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