Atlanta police arrest 35 in violent clashes

ALBAWABA -  Authorities detained 35 protesters involved in confrontations with police in Atlanta, Georgia, where the activists object to the construction of the Atlanta Police Foundation's proposed training facility.

The demonstrators, who dub the facility the "Cop City," are anxious about potential police militarization of the area and the impact the construction of such a facility would have on woodland at the proposed site. Protesters call the area, an outing to many, the "lungs of Atlanta."

An Atlanta police statement said the protesters hurled "large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers" after they "changed into black clothing (and) entered the construction area" on Sunday.

The statement said the group of "violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers."

It said the protesters "destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism."

"Multiple law enforcement agencies deployed to the area and detained several people committing illegal activity," it said, adding that 35 "agitators have been detained so far."

"The illegal actions of the agitators could have resulted in bodily harm," the statement warned. It explained that officers "exercised restraint and used non-lethal enforcement to conduct arrests."

The statement cautioned that with protests planned for the coming days, the "Atlanta Police Department, in collaboration with law enforcement partners, has a multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrest."

"The Atlanta Police Department asks for this week’s protests to remain peaceful," the statement concluded.