A right-wing group protesting Islamic law, or Sharia, on Saturday clashed with counterdemonstrators in Seattle, Minneapolis and other cities.
In Seattle, police used pepper spray to break up fights in Occidental Park, police spokesman Mark Jamieson said. Three people were arrested.
“At the conclusion of the rally the large group returned to Occidental Park,” Jamieson said in a news release. “Officers continued to monitor the crowds and separate the opposing groups, but shortly after 12:30 a large fight broke out. Officers used pepper spray to break up the crowd. Officers arrested one woman and two men for obstructing.”
‘A bit rowdy’
Seven people were arrested at the Capitol in St. Paul, the Minnesota State Patrol tweeted from its official account. No injuries have been reported.
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, two people were arrested — one for disorderly conduct and a second for striking a state police horse, said Troy Thompson of Capitol Police.
“The protesters were a bit rowdy,” Thompson said.
Sharia means ‘the path’
Sharia law doesn’t exist the United States, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a political issue.
When President Donald Trump campaigned last year, he said he wanted to test Muslims coming into America to make sure they don’t want Sharia law to supersede the US Constitution.
He said the group was not anti-Muslim.
Portland protest called off
The March Against Sharia gained prominence a few weeks ago after two men were fatally stabbed on a Portland commuter train, allegedly by a man shouting anti-Muslim slogans at two young women, one of whom was Muslim.
Organizers canceled the event and urged supporters to attend the Seattle protest.
CNN’s Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/10/us/protests-against-sharia-law/index.html