Right-wing gathering in San Francisco cancelled after crackdown

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Free Speech Rallies
Protesters march outside of Alamo Square Park in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. San Francisco officials took further steps Saturday to prevent violence ahead of a planned news conference by a right-wing group. Officials erected fencing and a large contingent of police monitored Alamo Square park, where the group Patriot Prayer was set to hold its event. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

There were some big white supremacist rallies planned in San Francisco this weekend, but one by one, the organizers cancelled their plans blaming everyone from counter protesters, to the mayor to state park officials who granted protest permits.

CGTN’s May Lee reports from San Francisco.

A right-wing group Patriot Prayer was going to hold its “Freedom Rally,” at a state park, but the founder of the Portland, Oregon-based organization cancelled a day before claiming it was going to be too dangerous given all the counter protests that were planned.

PHOTOS BY MAY LEE

Then the group’s founder moved the rally to a park about six blocks away, but because there was no permit, police preemptively barricaded the park and blocked off access from all sides. So Patriot Prayer was prevented from gathering again.

But, several counter protests went on as planned throughout the city to drown out any potential hate groups and their messages of division and bigotry.

A big rally at San Francisco’s City Hall looked more like a celebration as musicians took to the stage and street performers entertained the crowds.

There were plans on Sunday in Berkeley for an anti-Marxist rally, which was believed to be another right-wing gathering. That, too, has been cancelled.

But police there will also be on high alert to make sure nothing like Charlottesville happens in the Bay area.