Move FM Global News

ATLANTA, Georgia: Atlanta authorities have said that 23 people will be charged with domestic terrorism charges after being arrested during violent clashes between police officers and protesters at the construction site of the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Those arrested were part of a group who threw bricks, rocks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at officers after protesters breached the construction site of the police training center.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, only two of those arrested were from Georgia, while three were from Massachusetts and two from Wisconsin. Also, one person was from Canada while another from France.

Surveillance camera footage of the incident showed showed protesters throwing rocks over a fence, several small fires burning at the site and heavy construction equipment on fire, as well as fireworks exploding around several police officers as they were trying to lock a gate.

“We will not rest until those who use violence and intimidation for an extremist end are brought to full justice,” said Governor Brian Kemp this week.

Known as “Cop City” by its detractors, the site has been the scene of confrontations between police and demonstrators opposed to both the increasing militarization of police and the development of the surrounding forest, which they call the “Lungs of Atlanta.”

The incident on March 5 began during a music festival held as part of a week of protests against the site’s construction and calling for police reforms.

Hundreds of people attended the weekend’s events, and a group broke off from the concert to confront police.