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Trump supporters, opponents clash in California park

This article is more than 12 months old

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA A melee erupted on Saturday in a park in Berkeley, California, where supporters and opponents of US President Donald Trump were holding competing rallies, resulting in at least 20 arrests as police struggled to keep the two camps apart.

As fist fights broke out between the two sides and people threw bottles and cans over a barricade separating them, the police resorted to using an explosive device at one point in a bid to restore order.

Several people were observed by a Reuters reporter to have bloodied faces and minor injuries, but there was no official word on casualties.

The media, citing the police, reported that at least 11 people were injured.

The police said more arrests could follow after videos shot during the melee were reviewed.

The trouble unfolded when hundreds of Trump opponents staged a counter-rally alongside an event billed as a "Patriots Day" free-speech rally and picnic, which was organised by mostly Trump supporters.

Between 500 and 1,000 people were in the park as the rallies peaked, according to an estimate by Reuters.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people marched through midtown Manhattan and dozens of US cities on Saturday to demand that Mr Trump release his tax returns and to dispute his claim that the public does not care about the issue.

Organisers of the "Tax March" in more than 150 cities across the country and beyond wanted to call attention to Mr Trump's refusal to disclose his tax history, which his White House predecessors had done for more than 40 years.

The marches coincided with the traditional April 15 deadline for US federal tax returns, though the filing date was pushed back two days this year.

Two of the biggest tax marches took place in New York and Los Angeles. Each drew about 5,000 people. - REUTERS

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