• A series of clashes between far-right militia, pro-Confederacy groups, and anti-fascist counter-protesters erupted across the country on Saturday.
  • At Stone Mountain Park, Georgia – home to the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial – heavily armed far-right protesters attacked anti-fascist protesters with pepper spray.
  • In Kalamazoo, Michigan, a rally organized by the alt-right group Proud Boys also turned violent after the group started punching counter-protesters.
  • Four arrests were also made in Portland after a small group of alt-right demonstrators started shooting paintballs at counter-protesters.
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Clashes between far-right militia, pro-Confederacy groups, and antifa counter-protesters erupted at Stone Mountain Park, Georgia, on Saturday.

Videos on social media showed a small number of heavily armed far-right protesters attacking anti-fascist protesters with pepper spray and yelling at them. Some fistfights also broke out.

At one point, a man with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and an assault weapon pointed his gun on the crowd, according to the Daily Beast.

The confrontation prompted police in riot gear and members of the National Guard to disperse the crowd. It is unclear whether any arrests were made.

A far-right paramilitary group called Three Percenters militia initially asked to hold a 2,000-person rally at the park on Saturday but were denied by police.

In preparation, authorities closed off entry points to the monument, suspended bus services, and asked locals to avoid the city center.

Stone Park wasn't the only place that saw tense confrontations in the country on Saturday.

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, a rally organized by the alt-right group Proud Boys also turned violent after the group started fighting with counter-protesters.

The First Congregational Church hosted a gathering of anti-racism counter-protesters.

"The Proud Boys, they not only have hatred for Jewish people and Muslim people, but they're also very hateful of anybody who doesn't look like them or act like them," Rev. Nathan Dannison, the church's pastor, told local outlet MLive.

The mask-less Proud Boys, who were chanting and waving American, Trump, and Gadsen flags, were later dispersed by police in riot gear.

One Black local reporter who was filming the scenes at the protest was arrested by police but was later let go. Police said, "a few arrests" were made, according to local affiliate WOOD-TV.

Four arrests were also made in Portland after a small group of alt-right demonstrators started trading paintballs and pepper spray with counter-protesters.

In Oregon's state capital, Salem, scuffles also broke out between several groups of differing ideologies.

Stone Mountain Park is home to the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, a giant granite carving that depicts Confederate figures Gen. Robert E. Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson mounted on horseback.

The memorial, which is the largest Confederate monument in the US, has become a point of friction over the years.

Calls for its removal first came after the Charleston church shooting in 2015 but intensified in recent months following the death of George Floyd.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams once called the carving "a blight on our state," according to the Daily Beast.