Riot in North Toledo (from ATSNN)

www.wtol.com


NORTH TOLEDO -- Toledo Mayor Jack Ford has appealed for calm and declared a state of emergency after violence broke out Saturday before the start of a planned neo-Nazi march through a north Toledo neighborhood. Hundreds of people protesting the presence of the Nazi group threw rocks at police officers who were there to provide safety. Police used pepper spray and tear gas on the crowd.

The National Socialist Movement in Roanoke, Virginia, organized the march, saying the neighborhood had been beset with gang violence that threatens white residents. NSM calls itself "America's Nazi Party." About 24 to 30 Nazis started around 11:00am at a staging area under police control near Woodward High School., while the counter-protesters gathered outside. When the crowds got larger, and got out of control, Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre says the order was given to cancel the march around 12:00pm.

The Nazi marchers got in their cars and left, while the counter-protesters took over several city streets, growing more and more irate. Mayor Jack Ford says he went into the crowd with several city leaders to try to diffuse the situation. In a late-afternoon news conference, Ford said he was confronted in that crowd by gang members who had what he called "long-standing grievances."



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