Photos: Demonstrators face off at tense Stone Mountain protests
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - After several hours of mostly peaceful demonstrations on Saturday in Stone Mountain, large numbers of police moved in to disperse the crowds when fights broke out.
Several dozen right-wing demonstrators, some waving the Confederate battle flag and many wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. People in both groups carried rifles. For several hours, there was little visible police presence and things were largely peaceful, aside from some shoving and pushing and spirited arguments.
But just before 1 p.m., fights broke out, with people punching and kicking each other and throwing rocks. That’s when police officers in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowds.
SEE MORE: Tensions rise, protesters clash during Stone Mountain demonstrations
By 2 p.m., almost all of the protesters had left the area.
