A group of Black Lives Matter protesters blockaded the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan on Saturday night, closing off traffic for around 20 minutes before marching to a police precinct and clashing with the NYPD.
Hawk Newsome, leader of the Greater New York chapter of BLM, said three people had been arrested following a violent confrontation outside an upper Manhattan police precinct.
He tweeted: 'Say Less. Work More. THEY NEVER SHUT DOWN THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE BEFORE.
'We did that for our Sisters and Brothers who had their lives stolen by AmeriKKKa.'
The New York Post said six people had been detained.
A group of around 100 protesters blockaded the George Washington Bridge in New York
Newsome tweeted on Saturday night his delight at having blocked the bridge
The BLM group were called to the streets by Hawk Newsome, leader of the local chapter
The group, waving flags and chanting, marched onto the bridge on Saturday night
Newsome had announced the demonstration on Thursday, tweeting: 'Roll with us Saturday as we Shut S*** Down. @blmgreaterny @Boogie Down Bronx.'
Around 100 people heeded his call, gathering in the Bronx and marching to Washington Heights before moving on to the bridge.
Both lanes of the upper level were blocked by flag-waving protesters, who marched on to the bridge at 7.30pm and remained there for up to 20 minutes.
The group, trailed by Port Authority Police, then moved on to the 34th Precinct, having met up with another group of demonstrators.
Four blocks up from the bridge, on West 183rd Street and Broadway, they were met at the precinct by a line of police.
BLM activists on Saturday stopped traffic between New Jersey and Manhattan
The activists were followed by Port Authority Police as they left the bridge
The group then marched from the bridge four blocks into upper Manhattan
Black Lives Matter managed to rally 100 people to blockade the bridge
After their rally, the police then moved to forcefully clear the area, some using batons on the protesters.
One protester was seen being pushed to the ground by a white-shirted officer.
The group dispersed by 10pm. Police reported no injuries.
'Look how much power we had. We sat on the bridge for 20 minutes. We shut the whole city down,' one protester told the Post.
'Then we came down here and police started beating the s*** out of us.'
The group then marched through the streets of upper Manhattan
Police wearing face shields and helmets forced back the protesters from the precinct
Hawk Newsome said that three people had been arrested during the protest
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