The mutual anger of members of a white nationalist group and counter-protesters spilled onto the streets on Sunday noon, when the Traditional Worker Party was officially permitted to stage a rally outside the state Capitol.
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Cres Vellucci, an observer with the National Lawyers Guild, said Monday that the California Highway Patrol and Sacramento city police failed to separate the two groups before the violence began. The group was met by about 400 “anti-fascist” counter-protesters.
Matthew Heimbach, chairman of the TWP, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that his group and the Golden State Skinheads organized the Sunday rally, adding that one of his protesters was stabbed in an artery and six of the counter-protesters were also stabbed.
Footage on social media showed a group of people, some wielding what appeared to be wooden bats, clash in a park-like setting.
“We’re essentially just going to show up and make sure that the Donald Trump supporters are defended from the leftist thugs”, he said.
The victims were all present while a protest took place, said Sacramento Police spokesman Matt McPhail but he said it was still unclear whether and how they were involved.
“Regretfully, one of our men was injured and is now in the hospital”, the Traditionalist Worker Party said in a statement on its website. The Sacramento Police have not yet made any arrests.
According to Reuters, more than 100 police officers were at the event where the counter-protesters tried to stop the Traditionalist Worker Party members from getting to a staging area.
A message left at a phone number for the Traditionalist Worker Party was not immediately returned to The Associated Press. When they arrived, the White nationalists encountered hundreds of counterprotesters.
A post recently uploaded to site of the Traditionalist Youth Network said TWP members planned to march in Sacramento to protest against globalization and in defense of their right to free expression.
But Vellucci said the dozens of officers were slow to respond when counter-protesters rushed the white supremacists as they entered the Capitol grounds.
Officials say people were treated for cuts, bruises and stab wounds.
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“We knew we were outnumbered”.
