Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell blamed a Christian rally and infiltrating “anarchists” for violence breaking out at a counter-protest on Saturday.
The Seattle Police Department reported 23 people were arrested at Cal Anderson Park during MayDayUSA’s “Don’t Mess With Our Kids” rally and a pro-LGBTQ counter-protest. According to SPD, police witnessed “multiple people inside one group throw items at the opposing group” and, while arresting individuals, were assaulted by other individuals, leading to an officer requiring medical treatment.
After the scuffle broke out, Harrell’s office released a statement defending the LGBTQ community and criticizing the “far-right rally” for provoking the violent reaction.
“Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice,” the statement read. “Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason – to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.”
He continued, “Anarchists infiltrated the counter-protestors group and inspired violence, prompting SPD to make arrests and ask organizers to shut down the event early, which they did.”
Harrell added his support for people who peacefully protest an “extreme right-wing national effort to attack our trans and LGBTQ+ communities.” He also suggested an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the approval of MayDayUSA’s initial event.
“While there are broad First Amendment requirements around permitting events under free speech protections, I am directing the Parks Department to review all of the circumstances of this application to understand whether there were legal location alternatives or other adjustments that could have been pursued,” the statement read. “The Police Department will complete an after-action report of this event, including understanding preparation, crowd management tactics, and review of arrests and citations.”
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