Five people were transported to area hospitals after fascists were met by counter-protesters at a rally in California’s capital.
Multiple people were reportedly stabbed in what the Sacramento Fire Department called a “mass casualty event” after counter-protesters crashed a rally in Sacramento organized by a far-right political group known as the Traditionalist Worker Party.
At least seven people were transported to area hospitals, some with critical trauma stab wounds, the fire department said. According to CBS, police officers witnessed a Klan member stab someone with a knife, while a counter protester was also found stabbed inside a vehicle, CBS reported.
The Traditionalist Worker Party has all the hallmarks of a fascist political group and was described as “white nationalist” and “extremist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
“TWP, formed in January of this year (2015) as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN), an identitarian-inspired umbrella group that aims to indoctrinate high school and college students into white nationalism, ” a recent article on the Southern Poverty Law Center said.
In an online post, the Traditionalist Youth Network, which is closely tied to the group that organized the rally, seemed to be aware that they would be met with by counter-protests.
In that same post, the group said they were inspired to stage the protest “against globalization and in defense of the right to free expression” after witnessing numerous protests against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the U.S. presidency.
“Unclear at this time how much of this was planned and how much of it was a sudden reaction to what was going on,” Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey told CNN.
Antifa Sacramento, an anti-fascist group, had made it known on social media that they intended to confront the fascist gathering.
Footage on social media showed a group of people, some wielding what appeared to be wooden bats, clash in a park-like setting. At one point, a man with a bat could be seen striking the back of a person who topples onto the grass as separate fights occurred around them. At another point, one person appeared to hurl a rock toward others.
It was not known if those injured were from the far-right group or counter-protesters.
No arrests have been made at this time, a fire official said. Though photos on social media showed emergency officials treating a victim on the grass in the area as police officers stood guard.
This latest incident comes about four months after four people were stabbedduring a scuffle between members of the Ku Klux Klan and counter-protesters near a planned KKK rally in Anaheim, California.
The Traditionalist Youth Network made reference to that incident, promising to have “ferocious” adult men at their rally.