Riot police had to intervene as clashes broke out between Straight Pride attendees and LGBTQ+ supporters on Saturday in the city of Modesto, California. The event, organized by the National Straight Pride Coalition, was supposed to be held near a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. However, a group of counter-protesters arrived at the site before it could start, Modesto Bee reported.
At around 11:20 a.m. local time, police declared an unlawful assembly, and officers started dispersing the crowd. They fired pepper spray bullets and used beanbag guns to curb the violence.
Multiple videos purportedly depicting the clashes and the police response have been circulating online.
According to Modesto Police Department officer Sharon Bear, at least three people were arrested for failure to disperse. Two of them were linked to Straight Pride, while the third one was a counter-protester, she added.