2016 Albuquerque riot


On May 24, 2016, protests at a Donald Trump rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico turned violent, with rioters and police clashing outside the Convention Center.
For hours, protesters and police clashed in downtown Albuquerque, with rioters burning signs and pro-Trump t-shirts, and throwing rocks and plastic bottles at police. Police in riot gear responded with smoke grenades and pepper spray.

Incident

Donald Trump held a rally that attracted over 7,000 supporters in Albuquerque on May 24. Organized counter protests occurred the same day, and included a rally with local speakers, a march, the display of anti-Trump signs, and musical performances.
While the event began peacefully, it descended into violence later that night after the majority of protestors had left the area. The remaining protestors gathered at the Albuquerque Convention Center, the venue hosting the Trump campaign rally. Demonstrators burned signs and pro-Trump t-shirts, and threw rocks and plastic bottles at police. The Albuquerque Police Department later characterized the incident as a riot. The clash with police continued until 11:00 p.m. Three rioters were arrested in the chaos and several police officers sustained minor injuries from thrown rocks.

Reactions

Donald Trump tweeted on the event and surrounding chaos after the unrest. "Great rally in New Mexico, amazing crowd!" He also tweeted, "The protesters in New Mexico were thugs who were flying the Mexican flag. The rally inside was big and beautiful, but outside, criminals!" Trump's next stop was to be Anaheim, where the police chief Chief Raul Quezada issued a warning to protesters that "there is no room for violence in Anaheim."