Clash sparked between police, Pride partygoers in New York

2 mins read

Pride Weekend party attendees clashed with the law enforcers on Sunday night at the Washington Square Park in New York City, reports cite.

According to New York’s WPIX’S report, the conflict between the two groups started early in the evening as several police from the NYPD were seen in the area.

At around 7:15 p.m., riot gear-protected law enforcers arrived at the location, according to a tweet by Business Insider reporter, Meredith Cash.

Officers have formed a line to block off Fifth Avenue, based on a separate video footage uploaded on the Internet. The NYPD turned down claims from some tweets that they have used pepper spray in dealing with the crowd.

Media outlet The Sun said the police have not made arrests as of 9:00 p.m.

The cause of the conflict is yet to be determined.

The party was part of the yearly LGBTQ Pride Parade. It gathered thousands of individuals on Sunday who held a series of activities as the Pride celebration this year goes virtual due to the current health crisis. For this year, the event was streamed as a broadcast special as it was planned prior to the easing of anti-virus restrictions.

Members of the NYPD were restricted from taking part in the Pride parade over the weekend.

“We’re talking about a decision that’s making unnecessary divisions in the community,” said Brian Downey, Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) President and NYPD detective told “America’s Newsroom” on Friday.

New York started holding gay pride parades in 1970 as a way to remember the 1969 Stonewall uprising which was sparked following a Manhattan gay bar police raid incident.

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