About 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland this week for the Republican National Convention, at which Donald Trump is expected to be formally nominated to run for the USA presidency in November.
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Hundreds of pro and anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in Public Square in Cleveland shortly before Donald Trump’s acceptance speech Thursday evening.
“You’re on fire! You’re on fire, stupid!” a Cleveland officer shouted at a protester while firing the extinguishing spray.
Thursday marks the last day of the Republican National Convention.
A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, center, takes a selfie with a protesters at Public Square on Thursday, July 21, 2016, in Cleveland, during the final day of the Republican convention.
Though the Cleveland police say they have not yet confirmed reports of anyone stabbing officers with needles, if people are spotted with syringes, they will be confiscated on a case-by-case basis – excluding those with medical conditions – as a cautionary measure.
“All of our officers are still on 12-hour shifts until tomorrow, and then we have our weekend coming up which we know is going to have a lot of things going on”. “We’re trained and we’re here to make sure the public stays safe”.
The demonstrations that many feared would end in pitched battles between police and protesters turned at times into carnival-like scenes, with bongo players and with protesters dressed as nuns on stilts.
A group of plucky young anarchists used their fast feet and police scanner apps to harass the ill-prepared army of law enforcement officials from across the country – leading them on chases throughout downtown – while a handful of “Bikers for Trump” were on hand to provide law enforcement “support”. Aside from a fracas Wednesday over a group’s attempt to burn a US flag, the drama in Cleveland this week was confined to the convention hall itself.
The flag-burning brought to 23 the number of people arrested since the start of the convention, far fewer than many had feared.
The Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild was also critical of the police action, saying in a statement they are “highly concerned about these arrests and the escalation of police tactics against peaceful demonstrators”.
A massive police presence helped keep the protests largely under control, said Eric Ferrero, an Amnesty International deputy executive director who helped oversee teams of observers in Cleveland.
The unit “proved to be particularly invaluable during the convention”, city officials said Friday, adding that Cleveland police will maintain the bikes and reinstitute the patrols in neighborhoods in the future.
A police spokeswoman said at Thursday evening press conference that the officers will be O.K., and that one of the officers “came in contact with a sticker”.
The most memorable video had to be during the flag burning when police had to tell a man he was on fire.
There was a mix of protest groups in Public Square throughout the day.
A small number of people openly carried guns during some of the protests but caused no reported problems.
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The melee outside an entrance to the convention arena on Wednesday was the most turbulent protest of the week.
