Boston Rally: 33 Arrested as thousands show up in protest of Charlottesville violence

Boston [U.S.A], August 20 (ANI):As many as 33 left-wing counter protesters were arrested as clashes erupted when thousands took to the streets in Boston to protest a right-wing 'Free Speech' rally one week after racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly.

Protesters chanted anti-Nazi slogans and waved signs that condemned white supremacy as they marched towards the city's historic Boston Commons park amid a heavy police presence.

Although the rally's organizers have distanced themselves from neo-Nazis, others feared white supremacists might show .No major incidents were reported on Saturday in Boston.

Police confirmed that 33 people have been arrested mostly for disorderly conduct and assaults on police officers, CNN reported.

It's clear today that Boston stood for peace and love, not bigotry and hate," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said.

Protesters including children from diverse backgrounds showed up Saturday morning to march from the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury to Boston Common, the nation's oldest park.

Police Commissioner William Evans said the boisterous marchers far outnumbered the rally participants. Many of the latter were escorted out in police vans to keep them away from counter protesters. Clashes erupted when platoons of officers came in to disperse the crowds.

"We didn't want what happened in Virginia to happen here," Evans said. "We didn't want them at each other's throats."

Three advisory panels of the White House have been disbanded following Trump's response to racially-charged weekend violence at a rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump doubled down on blaming "both sides" for the violence and suggested some good people marched with the white nationalists, executives on one panel decided to disband the group.(ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI