Protests turn violent outside Trump's rally; clashes erupt

Washington, May 25: Donald Trump's rally in New Mexico turned violent as anti-Trump demonstrators clashed with police, hurling rocks and burning clothes at officers, the latest scuffle to hit the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's campaign.

The "unlawful assembly" went on rampage, lighted fires and threw rocks at the police officers and their horses outside Trump's rally at a convention centre in New Mexico's Albuquerque as police resorted to launch smoke to disperse the violent crowd which overturned barricades and hurled rocks.

The protesters disrupted 69-year-old New York-based real estate tycoon's speech several times yesterday.

Most of the protesters were escorted out one by one. "Go ahead, get them out of here," Trump told one of them. However, the police had a tough time in controlling the demonstrators who were protesting against the policies and rhetorics of Trump.

"This is an unlawful assembly," Albuquerque police spokesman Simon Drobik told protesters over a loudspeaker. According to Albuquerque Journal, a group of about 100 protesters forced their way through a police barricade and tried to storm the convention centre minutes after Trump took the stage for his rally.

The police were in anti-riot gears. In a series of tweets, Albuquerque said the protesters threw bottles and rocks at the police horses.

"There is no confirmation that any gunshots were fired, contrary to reports. Possible damage to Convention Centre Windows by pellet gun. The smoke that has been seen is not tear gas, it is just smoke. We have not deployed tear gas at this time," he tweeted.

While protests have not been a new phenomenon to Trump rallies, this is the first after he earned the Republican party's presidential nomination early this month.

Last month in California, pro- and anti-Trump protesters clashed with each other outside a city council meeting while in New York, a protester at a rally was shoved in the face twice by a Trump supporter.

PTI