A planned protest by the Traditionalist Worker Party at the California state capitol in Sacramento turned violent today after counter-protesters showed up, officials said.
It was unclear what triggered the violence at the rally by the group, which had received a permit to hold the event, police said.
The Sacramento Fire Department reported taking five people to local hospitals after what it described as a "mass casualty incident." The injuries appeared to be non-life threatening, the fire department said.
Insane video. Crowd sees any signs of "Nazis" and they run&attack. A lot of people bleeding/getting maced. @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/PoFhILfZ95
— Frances Wang (@ABC10Frances) June 26, 2016
Counter protesters called the Traditionalist Worker Party "Nazis," according to ABC affiliate KXTV in Sacramento.
The Traditionalist Worker Party says on its website that it "stands for Faith, Family, and Folk. Our party members share a common struggle to transfer power and resources from the corrupt and unaccountable federal government to community and regional leaders who stand for traditional values, strong families, and revived cultures.
"Localism and secessionism are central to our mission," it says.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the TWP was formed in January 2015 as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network, a group that tries to draw high school and college students into white nationalism.
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