An anti-trans rally in Cal Anderson Park, Seattle, turned into a chaotic showdown between police officers and counterprotesters of the LGBTQ+ community.
Over the weekend, residents swarmed the park to protest the ongoing “Mayday USA” rally held by the religious organization, On Fire Ministries. The group, which is strongly against LGBTQ+ rights and does not support abortion, organized the rally to stand “for Biblical truth and values.
As expected, the religious event ruffled feathers, causing hundreds to gather at Cal Anderson Park and protest. However, officers on the ground didn’t take lightly to the counterprotesters, attacking them for disrupting the peace. A viral video shared on Reddit and Instagram captured a swarm of bike cops roughhandling the protesters and pinning them to the floor before handcuffing them.
One officer was recorded using his bicycle to hit the group of protesters, yelling “Get back” as he tried to get them away from the park. In another recording, three policers carried a hogtied counterprotester out of the rally while others screamed justice.
Per a witness, the police became violent towards the protesters after someone threw an item. However, many online still don’t think it was worth such aggression from law enforcement.
“All because someone threw a water bottle (or balloon) at the cops defending an anti-trans bigot rally in our gay-borhood. Really tells you everything you need to know about their values,” one comment read. “SPD couldn’t wait to beat on citizens,” another resident lamented.
Users criticized the officers of the Seattle Police Department for having a history of standing against marginalized communities.
“It’s always telling: they face their backs towards the hateful group—joining them and then push community members & marginalized community, facing them with weapons. We know who they protect and what side they’re on.”
However, some Redditors were on the side of the cops, arguing that counterprotesters have a history of being violent.
“I guess everyone has the right to protest peacefully right? If counterprotesters were threatening violence then the police are not obliged to intervene?” user Discomat86 stated. A similar sentiment read, “It doesn’t seem that bad. It looks like the offenders were apprehended, and everyone else was able to protest within their rights.”
Following the scuffle between officers and counterprotesters, 23 residents were arrested for assault and obstruction, King 5 reports. One officer sustained injuries during the protest. Mayor Bruce Harrell condemned the rally hosted in a well-known LGBTQ+ neighborhood, saying it was done “to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values.”
Concluding his statement, Harrell declared Seattle “a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities.” Mayor Harrell has since instructed the Parks department to review the rally’s application.
