As an estimated 50,000 attendees took part in the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality over Pride weekend, some were met with pepper spray and assaulted by the New York Police. It was noted by many that this was taking place on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

The event, organised by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, was held in the place of Pride celebrations cancelled due to the pandemic. Marchers gathered in Manhattan, their route taking them past the historic Stonewall Inn, and on to a park in Greenwich Village. 

It was here that attendees clashed with the police, with social media videos and television news reports depicting officers using pepper spray and batons. The police allege that demonstrators got into shoving matches with them, while attendees put the blame on the side of the officers present.

The police just started a riot at Washington square park pic.twitter.com/Zb7VyQvPI9

— Mike Perles (@mike__perles) June 28, 2020

The Reclaim Pride Coalition released the following statement in the wake of events:

“As peaceful marchers with the Queer Liberation March for Black Lives and Against Police Brutality entered Washington Square Park this afternoon at the end of their March, the NYPD, in a vast and brutal overreaction, attacked with pepper spray, batons, violent shoving and arrests.

“Marchers had conducted a huge and universally acclaimed event, marching from Foley Square north on Sixth Avenue, around the Stonewall Inn and back east to Washington Square park. But as they were entering the Park, an NYPD officer stepped forward to arrest a marcher (reason unknown and the NYPD won’t say), and a crowd gathered to object, chanting ‘Let him go’.

https://twitter.com/justinaflash/status/1277371937744916480?s=20

“Suddenly, a large crowd of NYPD officers rushed in and attacked with pepper spray. All that did was increase the crowd yelling at them to ‘go home,’ while marchers nursed their pepper spray wounds. One NYPD member reached out to slam a woman on a bicycle to the ground. Other marchers were punched and violently shoved.”

At 11pm on @NBCNewYork, a #Pride weekend demonstration ends with police confrontations and pepper spray. We ask #NYPD what prompted this officer to push a bike-riding protester? pic.twitter.com/8XRRNHnrpK

— chris glorioso (@glorioso4ny) June 29, 2020

Jake Tolan, one of the organisers of the Queer Liberation March, added to the statement; “I wish that I could say what I saw today was shocking, but how could I reasonably expect anything else from the NYPD? 51 years after the Stonewall Rebellion, the NYPD is still responding to peaceful, powerful, righteous queer joy with pepper spray, batons, and handcuffs.”