Trump Rally at Berkeley Gets Ugly

By Lizzie Johnson, SFGate

05 March 17

 

t least 10 people were arrested and many others bloodied and bruised as a Berkeley rally supporting President Trump turned violent Saturday when fistfights broke out between marchers and counterprotesters, and crowds of masked anarchists joined the fray.

“This is a sad day,” Berkeley Councilman Ben Bartlett told reporters. “We’re better than this.”

The rally, one of several pro-Trump events held across the United States, began at 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. That’s less than a mile from the UC Berkeley campus where a violent protest Feb. 1 forced the cancellation of a speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.

The fighting Saturday started even before the event began, with people throwing punches, swinging signs and tossing smoke bombs. Hundreds of people filled the park, with anarchists and counterdemonstrators far outnumbering what rally sponsors estimated were 60 to 75 Trump supporters.

By 3 p.m., the self-proclaimed anarchists were dominating the crowd. Dressed all in black and wearing cloth bandannas over their faces, they stopped traffic as they marched from the park through downtown with the smaller mix of Trump supporters and counterprotesters. In the park, people opposed to Trump threw eggs and burned both American flags and the red “Make America Great Again” Trump campaign hats.

Kiki Valenzuela, a sophomore at Berkeley High School, was at the rally to protest Trump. She wore a short-sleeved shirt reading “liberal elite” and said she was excited for her first taste of activism. But when the crowds became violent, with people beating each other until they bled, the 16-year-old became scared and ran to the perimeter.

“It’s weird to see the (Trump) supporters in my city and my town,” she said. “It’s the first time for me, and it’s kind of scary and dangerous.”

BART service to downtown Berkeley was suspended for a time due to what transit district officials described as “civil disturbance.”

“This is the most immature and disgusting display of human interaction,” said David Tomes of San Rafael, a pro-Trump marcher with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag draped around his shoulders and an American flag in one hand. The 49-year-old said he owns a yoga studio in Petaluma and has been targeted for his political beliefs.

Trump supporter Jared Malan, 27, wore civilian fatigues and gripped an American flag as he stood at the park Saturday afternoon, silently watching the bouts of shouting and sign burning.

Malan said most of the Trump supporters left soon after the violence started.

“It got pretty heated. There were a few brawls,” he said. “When we went for the march we were followed. A lot of people were attacked.”

Malan said Trump wasn’t his first choice for president but that he appreciated some of those around him, like Vice President Mike Pence.