Chaos broke out during a pro-white rally in a park in Georgia Saturday, which sparked counter-protests, reported WGCL, a CBS affiliate in Atlanta.
The rally was a planned demonstration from Rock Stone Mountain, a pro-white group who said they were meeting to “celebrate their heritage,” John Bankhead, a spokesman for Stone Mountain Park police who is in charge of public safety at the park, told WGCL.
Around 25 people planned to demonstrate with Rock Stone Mountain, but hundreds showed up to counter protest in different areas, including Black Lives Matter activists, Bankhead said. Because of the tensions between the groups, there was a heavy police presence with police in riot gear.
Officials told WGCL that one group was attempting to block the main gate, but would not say which group. Protesters from one group called “All Out Atlanta,” which didn’t have a permit for its demonstration, threw rocks at police, Bankhead told CBS News.
It was also reported by WGCL that a man was injured by participants for wearing a Confederate hat. When the station spoke with him he said he was just at the park and was not affiliated with any of the protesting groups.
