A KKK rally and a Black Panthers protest over the Confederate flag clashed over the weekend outside the South Carolina Capitol building.
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported a total of five arrests on Saturday as an estimated 2,000 people turned out at the
two opposing rallies, according to NBC News. In addition to the arrests, seven people were also transported by ambulances for medical reasons.
Both the New Black Panther Party and the Loyal White Knights of the KKK conducted assemblies on the grounds of the statehouse.
The White Knights of the KKK from North Carolina were protesting the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse earlier this month.
“The Confederate flag does not represent hate. A lot of Americans died for that flag," one member of the
KKK exclaimed, according to WOLO.com.
State authorities positioned themselves as a barrier between the opposing sides, however fights still erupted. At one point during the rally, members of a crowd grabbed hold of a Confederate flag and proceeded to tear it to shreds.
Police shut down the demonstration just an hour earlier than expected to clear the massive crowds.
The Confederate flag was flown for 54 years on
Capitol grounds in South Carolina, according to CNN.
On Saturday, a photo of a black police officer assisting a white supremacist to escape the hot sun went viral on social media and sparked controversy.
Here are a few tweets in reaction to the KKK and Black Panther square-off:
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