By Shelby Grad

Los Angeles Times

Violence broke out Saturday at a rally in Berkeley, Calif., aimed at expressing support for President Donald Trump.

The rally and march were slated to occur at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. But the pro-Trump forces were met by Trump critics. Some shoving and punching occurred and police were trying to maintain order.

The pro-Trump forces were trying to march through the city but were facing resistance from counter protesters.

The East Bay Times reported there were several incidents in which protesters were punched and at least one case where someone was pepper sprayed. Reporters at the scene said some of those involved had bloodied faces.

Last month a scheduled appearance by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was canceled after violent protest on the University of California, Berkeley campus.

KCBS radio reported that at least some of the counter protesters appear to be members of Black Bloc, a group that UC Berkeley officials blamed for many of the problems on campus last month.

The self-described anarchists or antifascists have left school and law enforcement agencies struggling to cope with their tactics.

The term “black bloc” was used to describe the tight wedges of black-clad protesters in helmets and masks who appeared in street demonstrations in Germany in the 1970s, confounding efforts to single out, identify and prosecute individuals.