Thousands of demonstrators carrying signs with slogans like “Stand Against Hate” descended on Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Park on Sunday for what many hoped would be a peaceful march against bigotry and President Trump.

But it was soon punctuated by tear gas and a scattering of violent skirmishes. Some anti-fascist protesters, wearing black and with their faces covered, chased or beat Trump supporters and organizers who had scheduled and then canceled the “anti-Marxist” rally, citing concerns over safety.

Police, and in some cases other counter-protesters, stepped in to halt the violence or escort the victims away from the area. Officers reported 14 arrests, many of them for violations of the city’s emergency rules banning masks, sticks and potential weapons inside the demonstration area.

The clashes came despite widespread calls from activists and elected officials across the Bay Area for peaceful civil disobedience and underscore Berkeley’s growing reputation for violent reaction by the far left. Other protests earlier this year in the city turned ugly, with far-left and far-right forces fighting in the streets.

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Some in Berkeley worried that Sunday’s chaos, captured on video and quickly disseminated through social media, would provide unwanted ammunition to Trump and his supporters.

“We can’t keep producing this audio-visual propaganda,” said Andrew Noruk, a counter-protester who denounced the fights. “It is recruiting for the right.”

The incidents came a day after a series of mostly peaceful activities in San Francisco, where demonstrators also marched in response to a planned far-right rally near the Golden Gate Bridge. Counter-protesters there boasted that they had shown that far-right groups, including neo-Nazis and white supremacists, were not welcome. Police reported one arrest, for public intoxication.

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In Berkeley, the demonstration of more than 4,000 people pulled heavily from area labor unions, church groups and liberal activists — but also scores of young people clad in all black, some carrying shields and others with bandannas pulled over their faces.

Those activists are sometimes referred to as “antifa,” a name taken by anti-fascist organizations formed to oppose white nationalists. They are known for their “punch a Nazi” bent.

The counter-demonstrators were in the city to protest the “Say No to Marxism in America” rally, police said. Several who were expected to speak at the event have been linked to white nationalist sentiments or violence in the past.

Kyle Chapman, the far-right activist known as “Based Stickman” who gained fame for his role in previous Berkeley brawls, had been listed among speakers for the canceled event, but was not seen. On Friday, during a hearing on a pending felony weapons charge related to a prior rally, a judge ordered Chapman to stay away from Sunday’s demonstration.

Other planned attendees included Augustus Invictus, a Florida-based white supremacist who attended a torch-lit rally in Charlottesville, Va., according to the Anti-Defamation League. Invictus was not seen Sunday either.

One far-right figure who did show up was Johnny Benitez, the alias of an Orange County resident who organized an “America First” rally in Laguna Beach. Protesters got into shoving matches after he appeared, with some screaming “Go home, Nazi.”

Police tried to escort him and Irma Hinojosa, a member of the Southern California group Latinos for Trump, through the crowd and out of the park.

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Before the day had ended, Benitez wrote on Twitter that anti-fascists should be designated as “terrorists.”

“If the federal government doesn’t move to expose these terrorists the patriots of this country need to prepare for war,” he tweeted.

Benitez was not the only right-wing activist hurried away from scene. Counter-protesters clad in black pounced when Joey Gibson, founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, showed up in the park. Masked protesters began pepper spraying people and used their shields to hit people who appeared to be with Gibson.

#UPDATE: Black-clad anarchists attack 5 protesters in Berkeley, including organizer of SF Patriot Prayer rally. https://t.co/DItm9Zkx0J pic.twitter.com/2vCMu40lNE — NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) August 28, 2017

Gibson, who was behind Saturday’s aborted rally in San Francisco, was handcuffed and escorted away by police. Assistant Chief Jim Libby of the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division later described the officers’ action as a “rescue.”

Anti-fascist protesters also beat one person wearing an American flag. Some threatened to break the cameras of anyone who filmed them, including journalists. Others set off purple smoke bombs.

One counter-protester, in tears, said she worried that Sunday’s event would be tied to violence. Another, who helped break up a fight, was upset over the altercations.

“We need to get antifa out of here,” said Jack Harris, 20, of San Francisco.

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1 / 66 Demonstrators clash as they beat up a man and chase him down during counter protest against white supremacist. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 66 Demonstrators beat up a man and chase him down during counter protest against white supremacist at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 66 Clergy members march to the MLK Park. After a right wing rally was cancelled at Martin Luther King Park, various counter protesters converged from the UC Berkeley campus and other locations. (David Butow / For The Times) 4 / 66 After a right wing rally was cancelled at Martin Luther King Park, various counter protesters converged from the UC Berkeley campus and other locations. Above clergy members march to MLK Park. (David Butow / For the Times) 5 / 66 After learning that Trump supporters had been pushed from the park, two counter protesters embrace in Berkeley, Calif. (David Butow / For The Times) 6 / 66 Demonstrators beat up a man and chase him down during counter protest against white supremacist at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 66 Demonstrators chase, jump and tackle a man as police officers watch in a distance, outside of MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 66 Demonstrators clash as as they beat up a man during counter protest against white supremacist at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 66 After a right wing rally was cancelled at Martin Luther King Park, various counter protesters converged from the UC Berkeley campus and other locations. Above a person is lead away from the park by police. (David Butow / For The Times) 10 / 66 Police officers detain and escort a protester out after counter protesters surround him. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 66 Protesters react to their friend getting detained by the police. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 66 Members of the black bloc attack a man during their rally outside of MLK park in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 66 Clergy members who were part of an organized march confer as they arrive at Martin Luther King Park in Berkeley, Calif. (David Butow / For The Times) 14 / 66 Members of the black bloc celebrate as they push into MLK park in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 66 Members of the black bloc push into MLK park after police officers retreated during a day full of protests in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 66 Members of the black bloc march into MLK park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 66 Members of the black bloc jump over barriers and spill into MLK park in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 66 A protester is escorted out by the police at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 66 Police officers arrest a protester and her dog during a day of clashes and protest against racism in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 66 Police officers arrest a protester and her dog during a day of clashes and protest against racism, i (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 66 Purple smoke is released as police officers hold the line around MLK park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 66 Smoke clears out after police launch tear gas to disperse a crowd in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 66 Police officers detain and escort a protester out after counter protesters surround him. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 66 Protesters and counter protesters on both sides of the spectrum, confront each other at MLK park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 66 Counter-protesters against racism confront protesters aligned with President Trump at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 66 BERKELEY, CALIF. -- SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017: Counter-protesters against racism confront protesters aligned with President Trump at MLK Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2017. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 66 Erin Smith talks to a live broadcast on her phone in front of protesters against racism. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 66 Members of the black bloc hold up shields as they anticipate getting pepper sprayed in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 66 Police officers step and break up a melee during clashes in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 66 Protesters march down Hearst street to celebrate chasing out white supremacist out of their planned events in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 66 A protester is escorted out by the police at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 66 Matt Christian drapes an American flag over himself as he is surrounded by a rainbow flag during a protest against racism. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 66 A President Trump supporter holds up a sign amidst protesters against racism at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 66 Matt Christian, right, is confronted by a protester against racism, at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 66 Jovi Val talks to reporters during a rally at MLK Park in Berkeley. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 66 Arthur Schaper debates with counter protesters at MLK Park. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 66 A man marching with a group organized by various clergy raises his fist inso lidarity with others fighting racism during a counter protest march. (David Butow / For the Times) 38 / 66 After learning that Trump supporters had been pushed from the park, two counter protesters embrace. (David Butow / For the Times) 39 / 66 A police officer dons his gas mask while Black Bloc protesters prepare to enter the park. (David Butow / For the Times) 40 / 66 Black Bloc and other Antifa protesters enter MLK Park after police left. The park had been sealed off to allow police to check for weapons at certain entry points as people entered the park but when the large group of Antifa arrived, they pulled out. (David Butow / For the Times) 41 / 66 A woman is led away by police. (David Butow / For the Times) 42 / 66 Marchers which was organized by a coalition of clergy groups head to MLK Park. (David Butow / For the Times) 43 / 66 Clergy members march to MLK Park. After a right wing rally was cancelled at Martin Luther King Park, various counter protesters converged from the UC Berkeley campus and other locations to the park. (David Butow / f) 44 / 66 Clergy members march to the MLK Park. (David Butow / For the Times) 45 / 66 Protesters gather at the edge of the UC Berkeley campus as they gather for a day of demonstrations. (David Butow / For the Times) 46 / 66 Donald Trump supporter and far-right activist Steve Solomon, left, argues his position with Johnny Benitez during a rally on Sunday in Berkeley. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) 47 / 66 Wearing riot gear, U.S. Park Police from Washington, D.C., assemble Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 66 Protesters who support President Trump, left, debate with a counter-protester Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 66 Joey Gibson, left, who organized the canceled “Patriot Prayer” rally, speaks to Dexter Thomas of Vice News on Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 66 Arthur Schaper, a pro-Trump protester, debates with a counter-protester Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 66 A protester aligned with President Trump is escorted away after counter-protesters surround him at Crissy Field on Saturday in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 66 Protesters rally Saturday at San Francisco’s Alamo Park, which has been closed off by the Police Department. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 66 People practice yoga near San Francisco City Hall to warm up for a rally against far-right groups on Saturday. (David Butow / For The Times) 54 / 66 Protesters with signs watch other demonstrators make their way to San Francisco City Hall for a counter-demonstration on Saturday. (David Butow / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 66 Protesters gather outside the fences of Alamo Square Park in San Francisco on Saturday. (David Butow / For The Times) 56 / 66 Protesters hand out flowers near Alamo Square Park in San Francisco on Saturday. (David Butow / For The Times) 57 / 66 A large crowd sits in the middle of Hayes Street during a rally outside Alamo Park in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 66 Protesters against fascism gather outside Alamo Park in San Francisco while police close the park off Saturday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 59 / 66 Protesters against fascism gather outside Alamo Park in San Francisco. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 60 / 66 Police close off Alamo Park, keeping counter-protesters from entering the area following the cancellation of a far-right rally. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 61 / 66 Activists sing and hold a candlelight vigil during a “Light Up the Night” rally in San Francisco on Friday night. Organizers of right-wing rallies planned for this weekend in San Francisco and Berkeley have canceled the events. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 66 Ian Oshaughnessy sings “We Are the World” with fellow activists during a “Light Up the Night” rally in San Francisco on Friday night. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 66 Activists sing during a candlelight “Light Up the Night” rally in advance of far-right rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley. Organizers have canceled the events, but city officials are still prepared for clashes between demonstrators and counter-protesters. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 66 A man holds a sign outside San Francisco City Hall on Friday at a rally in opposition to far-right events planned in the Bay Area this weekend. Organizers of the right-wing rallies canceled them. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) 65 / 66 Entertainer MC Hammer speaks at a rally in San Francisco on Friday against anticipated far-right demonstrations scheduled this weekend, which have been canceled. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) 66 / 66 A crowd gathers outside San Francisco City Hall to oppose far-right rallies that had been planned in the Bay Area this weekend. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

Joanna Mendelson, senior investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League, watched footage of Sunday’s confrontations and said she drew a “sharp comparison” between the two weekend events. San Francisco provided a proud example of “a community response to objectionable speech,” she said in an email to The Times.

“Today’s story should have only been about the voices of tolerance overpowering those marred by bigotry,” she said. “Instead, any violent response, even if perpetrated by a small number, undermines their entire effort to counter the narrative.”

Others strongly disputed the idea that anti-fascist marchers were initiating violence. Kitty Stryker, a member of counter-protesters known as Struggalo Circus, said she provided medical aid to someone who had been pepper sprayed by a far-right activist.

Stryker said she broke up a fight between a Trump supporter and another demonstrator — and was almost punched in the face. And she argued that counter-protesters shut down the far-right demonstrations with overwhelming numbers, not violence.

“I think that has to do with having strong numbers and solidarity,” she added.

Berkeley has been home to a number of clashes between political opponents this year. Violent protests on the UC Berkeley campus shut down an appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos in February, and subsequent demonstrations in support of Trump collapsed into roving street fights.

In the days leading up to Sunday’s event, Berkeley officials had laid plans for stronger crowd control in the wake of a violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, where demonstrators on each side complained of lax law enforcement.

Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, was killed while protesting against the white supremacist rally.

Berkeley officials prohibited the carrying of weapons, sticks, projectiles and even soda cans in the demonstration area. Officer Jennifer Coats, spokeswoman for the Berkeley Police Department, said 500 officers were on the scene for Sunday’s demonstrations.

When protesters and counter-protesters arrived, they encountered a series of dump trucks lined up to form a barricade, an effort aimed at keeping a car from heading into a crowd. Marchers encountered concrete barriers at the park.

After the march, Berkeley resident Nancy Kerr said she viewed the protest as a success. Kerr, 33, said she was not afraid of the masked “black bloc” marchers, arguing that they had a “role to play in protecting protesters.”

Still, she and her husband, 34-year-old Kyle Sessions, expressed mixed feelings about some of the incidents that occurred.

“The violence worries me because it puts the police more on edge,” Sessions said. “They’re more likely to respond more forcefully with violence of their own.”

The violence raises the stakes for two upcoming visits to UC Berkeley by outspoken conservatives.

Milo Yiannopoulos has announced plans to return next month to spend days in a “tent city” in Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza. Conservative author and columnist Ben Shapiro is scheduled to visit Sept. 14.

On Monday, Berkeley police released the names of those who had been arrested.

james.queally@latimes.com

paige.stjohn@latimes.com

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Times staff writer Jazmine Ulloa contributed to this story.

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT @paigestjohn & @boreskes for news from the Bay Area protests this weekend.

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UPDATES:

1 p.m.: Updated with names of those arrested.

8 a.m. Monday: This article was updated with news about upcoming scheduled appearances by outspoken figures on the right at UC Berkeley.

8 p.m.: This article was updated with a new top and more details from demonstration.

6 p.m.: This article was updated with new comments from demonstrators.

4:20 p.m.: This article was updated with new comments from demonstrators.

3:10 p.m.: Updated with video showing violence.

2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about violence, new lede.

1:50 p.m. This article was updated with new information from the scene.

1:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with more news from the scene.

1 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from police.

11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from demonstrators.

12:55 p.m.: This article has been updated with new information about arrests.

11:30 a.m.: This article has been updated with more comments from demonstrators.

10:10 a.m.: This article has been updated with new details about the scene at a UC Berkeley park.

This article was originally posted at 9:40 a.m.</s>At least 14 arrested as left- and right-wing protesters face off in Berkeley, California

Arrests were made at a right-wing gathering and counter-protest in Berkeley, Sunday. Amber Cummings, the organiser of an ‘anti-Marxism’ demo, announced she would attend her banned protest on her own on Sunday in Berkeley. Cummings has called on her supporters not to join her following the ban by authorities, however a number of right-wing supporters turned up anyway where they were met with a counter-protest. Confrontations and arrests ensued. READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/8li7

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RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.</s>Police have arrested at least eight people and reportedly deployed tear gas as demonstrators from the Left and Right of the political spectrum held rallies in Berkeley, California.White smoke was seen on the scene, believed by local media and some eyewitnesses to be tear gas, as the two sides clashed in the university city.Berkeley, which lies eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, had been set to host a "No To Marxism in America" rally of right-wing activists at the Martin Luther King Civic Center Park Sunday.A counter demonstration, billed as a "Rally Against Hate", was then established to protest against the right-wing event.However the organizer of the anti-Marxism rally, Amber Cummings, subsequently cancelled the event saying Berkeley officials and left-wing extremists had made it impossible for the event to go ahead, local TV station KCRA reported Cummings urged people to stay away from the park.Large groups of activists showed up at various parts of Berkeley, with more than 1,000 people congregating on Oxford Street alone, the LA Times reports Footage from the scene shows huge crowds of counter protesters chanting slogans including "Nazis go home" and "No hate, no fear, Nazis get out of here".A group of activists surrounded a man who was holding a sign reading "God Bless Donald Trump" and chanted: "Not my president."A large police presence is present in the city and officers have been quick to clamp down on any skirmishes.</s>Protesters Take to Streets of Northern California</s>Counterprotesters filled the streets of Berkeley, California, Sunday even though a scheduled far-right rally that had been the target of their demonstration was canceled.

Sunday was the second day of demonstrations in the San Francisco Bay area. On Saturday, huge crowds of counterdemonstrators turned out to oppose another right-wing gathering, billed as a Patriot Protest rally, but that, too, was canceled. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee declared victory over a group he branded as inviting hate.

Police in Berkeley, across San Francisco Bay from the larger city, had set up barricades around a park where the rally was to have taken place Sunday. Authorities also erected metal barricades manned by officers.

By mid-morning, police in riot gear stood guard at park entrances as dozens of people milled around across the street. People were allowed to enter the park once their bags were checked for banned items, including baseball bats and skateboards. Anyone with a dog or covering their face with a scarf or bandana also was barred.

The precautions were put into place to prevent the violence that has plagued previous protests in Berkeley. In February, an outburst against plans for a speech by former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos caused hundreds of thousand of dollars in damages at the University of California campus and to surrounding businesses.

Yiannopoulos' appearance in February was canceled, but he has said he will return to Berkeley at the end of September, at the invitation of a conservative-leaning campus newspaper.

In response to the violent protests in February, President Donald Trump had threatened to revoke federal funding if the university's policy was to allow protesters to silence speakers with divergent opinions. In response, California’s Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom contended that Yiannopoulos holds unacceptable “white supremacist” views, and said “hatred has no home” at the state's public universities.</s>SAN FRANCISCO — Since the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, follow-up rallies across the nation have been anxiously scrutinized as potential repeats of the deadly violence in Virginia.

So far, every attempt at holding a right-wing rally is failing.

In San Francisco on Friday, thousands of anti-racist protesters blocked streets and intersections to protest a far-right rally whose organizers never showed up. Initially planned by Joey Gibson, the founder of a group called “Patriot Prayer,” the San Francisco event became the second such rally in the past week — the first was in Boston — to be totally drowned out anti-racist protesters.

Throughout the day, searching for the far-right rally was a wild goose chase through the city of San Francisco. The day before the rally, seeing thousands of protesters organizing against them, Patriot Prayer withdrew its permit and announced a press conference instead at Alamo Square Park.

By morning, police closed off the park entirely, and anti-racist protesters showed up in the thousands only to find that Gibson moved his press conference again, without announcing where it would be moved to.

As the protesters improvised a march toward the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, Gibson broadcast a Q&A on Facebook Live from a dark room in the city, sitting beside far-right celebrity brawler Kyle “Based Stickman” Chapman and blaming the rally’s cancellation on an alleged conspiracy between the National Parks Service, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the reason he had to cancel his rally.

“What you’re seeing is a perfect example of the systematic oppression of right-wing thought and ideology,” Chapman said on Facebook Live.

But the weekend isn’t over yet for local protesters. Another rally is planned for a few miles away in Berkeley, where far right demonstrators had a blowout fight with anti-fascists in the streets in April (it’s also unclear whether this rally will happen either).

Gibson announced Saturday night that he plans to head to Berkeley first thing in the morning, but Based Stickman can’t come with him — he’s out on $135,000 bail for a charge of felony possession of a billy club, and has been banned from attending all such rallies.

Barricades are already up in the streets of Berkeley, and businesses boarded up their windows in the night in anticipation of potential violence.</s>Small groups of activists and counter-protesters on Saturday were marching the streets of San Francisco and deciding on new gathering points after a far-right rally at Crissy Field was scrapped.

On Marina Boulevard, about 20 activists with various pro-communist organizations and labor unions held signs opposing fascism and awaited more demonstrators. Organizers of the "Anti-Racist Rally" said they were determined to make their presence known.

"It is a very fluid situation," said Peter Turner, 70, who described himself as a merchant seaman and a longtime communist. "Fascism doesn't go away by ignoring it. History has taught us that."

Charles Rachlis, 60, said multiple coalitions of church groups, civil rights activists, socialists and anarchists were organizing to combat the presence of the far right in the city.

"Wherever the fascists are, there are going to be working people there to kick them out of town," he said.</s>Scuffles flared in Berkeley, California, as a previously canceled far-right demonstration drew hundreds of counterprotesters on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a similar rally attracted a large throng opposing it in nearby San Francisco.

The fights led to a handful of arrests in and around Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The newspaper reported that what began as a mostly peaceful gathering “erupted in chaos” as “hundreds of black-clad demonstrators ran from the park screaming in various directions down city streets. Moments before, they had jumped barriers and entered the police-guarded park.”

The counterprotesters ― who dwarfed pockets of demonstrators wearing “Make America Great Again” hats or flying flags touting President Donald Trump ― showed up even though the “No to Marxism in America” event organizer had called it off for fear of violence.

The demonstration morphed into a “No Hate Rally” that spilled over into other parks in the area. The Chronicle reported that some participants carried “signs reading ‘Berkeley stands united against hate,’ ‘Queers against hate,’ and ‘End white supremacy,’” while others handed out “no hate” shields.

Jeff Conant, 50, of Berkeley, who helped organize the counterprotest, told the Chronicle it was “important for people to show up and make it unacceptable for right-wing white supremacists to spew hate and incite violence.”

Huge crowd of marchers says it will take the park together. Thousand at least there. Includes many antifa in black #berkeley #MLKPark pic.twitter.com/FtGcKBIjqq — Berkeleyside (@berkeleyside) August 27, 2017

On Saturday, thousands flooded the streets of San Francisco to protest another far-right rally that was ultimately canceled. These counterprotesters joined MC Hammer and utilized the power of dance to run the so-called alt-right out of town.

Since the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month that sparked deadly violence, cities have been grappling with alt-right rallies on their turf. Boston dealt with a “free speech” rally last weekend, with tens of thousands of people showing up to protest an emboldened white supremacy movement in America.</s>This weekend’s controversial far-right protests, slated to be held on both ends of the Bay, have been canceled—each citing violence for the sudden change of plans.

The city-stopping “Freedom Rally,” set to take place at San Francisco’s Crissy Field this Saturday, was canceled due to safety concerns, according to Joey Gibson, leader of the far-right group Patriot Prayer. Gibson made the announcement live on Facebook, opting for a press conference instead of the potentially violent rally.

“Alamo Sqare [sic] Park 2 pm in SF tomorrow for a news conference,” Gibson said in a Facebook statement. “We are asking the city to keep us safe. We are all excited for Berkeley!!”

Patriot Prayer looked to attend Sunday’s “No to Marxism in America” protest, according to Gibson, but has since lost the opportunity. The anti-Marxism event, organized by Amber Cummings, was slated to be held at Berkeley’s Civic Center Park this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., despite being denied a permit by Berkeley’s Office of the City Manager.

Shortly after Gibson’s announcement, Cummings made one of her own.

“To the press and to the people, I am releasing this statement to inform the people that I am asking that no one come to my event ‘No to Marxism in America’…” Cummings said in a statement. “That being said I will be attending the event alone. I stress I DO NOT WANT ANYONE COMING and if they do you will be turned away…”

Civic Center Park has played host to several far-right protests this year, one of which saw an outbreak of violence that pushed its way into downtown Berkeley.

It’s unclear whether protesters and counter protesters will heed Cummings’s request to protest alone.</s>Police have helped right-wing protesters attending a "Rally Against Hate" out of a park after they were surrounded and pushed by counter protesters.

The skirmish broke out at the Berkeley protest between several dozen left-wing demonstrators and a handful of right-wing supporters.

The skirmish was tense but ended quickly.

The left-wing protesters surrounded the small number of right-wing supporters, then shouted at them and pushed them. The right-wing protesters sought protection from police and were escorted away.

Several people were arrested at Berkeley's Civic Center Park by police who have banned protesters from covering their faces and carrying a variety of items that could be used as weapons.

About 2,000 people gathered in what was billed as a "Rally Against Hate." Opponents of the rally far outnumbered supporters.
Far-right protesters and thousands of far-left counter-protesters clash in Berkeley, California, leading to the arrest of at least 14 people.