University of Washington Republicans outnumbered by protesters at own rally

[pnwmom]

14. I'm in Seattle and know students who were there. You know nothing about what happened yesterday.

Last edited Sun Feb 11, 2018, 07:29 AM - Edit history (6)

The police did what they should do -- work to keep the opposing groups apart.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/5-arrested-as-trump-supporters-counterprotesters-rally-at-uw-in-seattle/

The rally — led by leaders of the College Republicans and their guests, the right-leaning Patriot Prayer, based in Vancouver, Washington — was peaceful early on. The chaos came roughly 75 minutes in, despite officers’ efforts to keep at a distance a couple of hundred protesters who far outnumbered the pro-Trump crowd. Those protesters came to denounce the president and promote a variety of anti-capitalist or pro-civil-rights themes.

SNIP

Lines of waist-high metal barriers and UW and Seattle police officers separated the politically opposed groups. Officers were in riot gear.

At one point, people with the Patriot Prayer gathering exited their sectioned-off area of Red Square — where leaders gave speeches and performed music — to walk into the opposing crowd. Swearing, spitting, shouting and fighting followed.

SNIP

For weeks, the UW was in talks with rally organizers to ensure safety. The potential for violence worried authorities, especially given the shooting in January 2017 in Red Square, after right-wing firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos spoke at the UW at the invitation of the College Republicans. On Saturday, the police effort to keep groups apart was clear — a tactic not fully seen at the Yiannopoulos event.

Police did not provide details Saturday about the five arrests.