17 arrested as Trump rally protest turns violent in California
On Thursday, Donald Trump made his first campaign visit to California since February, as the GOP presidential candidates start focusing on the pivotal June 7 California primary. Trump held a big, racuous rally at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, and hundreds of demonstrators were waiting to protest Trump's immigration policies and campaign rhetoric. Ten men and seven women were arrested for alleged unlawful assembly after the rally as the protest turned violent. Police were out in force, and protesters smashed the window of a police cruiser, punctured the tires of a police SUV, and even tried to flip over a police car. The mayhem was over by 10:15 p.m., Orange County sheriff department Lt. Mark Stichter told the Los Angeles Times, and no major injuries were reported.
The protests were peaceful but larger than expected before the rally, but when Trump supporters couldn't get in to hear the candidate, the confrontation between Trump backers and critics started growing tense. Police helicopters hovered overhead and law enforcement in riot gear and on horseback stepped in to clear the streets of Trump protesters, some of whom carried Mexican flags. "We could be peaceful and do things different," Arianna Perez, 19, told the L.A. Times, "but if we did, we wouldn't get our voice heard." You can watch an Associated Press report below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Switzerland could vote to cap its populationUnder the Radar Swiss People’s Party proposes referendum on radical anti-immigration measure to limit residents to 10 million
-
Political cartoons for February 15Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include political ventriloquism, Europe in the middle, and more
-
The broken water companies failing England and WalesExplainer With rising bills, deteriorating river health and a lack of investment, regulators face an uphill battle to stabilise the industry
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
