STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Two groups of protesters faced off Saturday in Georgia near Stone Mountain Park, known for its giant rock carvings of Confederate leaders, as tensions rose in the suburban Atlanta city.
The park was closed to the general public in anticipation of a rally planned by the Three Percenters, a far-right group, CBS News reported.
Park officials told WSB-TV that only the Three Percenters had applied for a permit. The permit was denied because of violence that occurred at previous rallies, the television station reported. No other group was issued a permit.
The city of Stone Mountain announced the closure in a tweet on Friday.
The Three Percenters and a counter-protest group gathered outside a church in Stone Mountain on Saturday, WSB reported. The television station reported heated arguments and several physical confrontations. Protesters representing both groups carried guns, according to WSB.
Some of the counterprotesters burned a Confederate flag, NBC News reported.
After several fights broke out, authorities dispersed the crowd, WSB reported. Police said no law enforcement officers were hurt, and some protesters had suffered minor injuries.
“Our mission was clear, allow for the opportunity for all sides to exercise their free speech,” Stone Mountain Police Chief Chancey Troutman told the television station. “I believe we accomplished that mission. All sides had their say.”
Stone Mountain Park is the home of the nation’s largest Confederate monument. Carvings in the mountain honor Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.
Protesters on both sides told WSB they were passionate about their causes.
“I’m here to say that I will not be intimidated,” Chris Hill, who was with the Three Percenters group, told the television station. “I will not be accosted.”
Counter-protester Neil Wolf said he is a veteran and believes the Confederate flag takes away from what he fought for.
“I believe in Black Lives Matter,” Wolf told WSB. “I’m also a combat veteran and I believe that the Confederate flag is antithetical to what I went overseas to fight for.”