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Los Angeles, June 15, 2025 (OLA NEWS) – Protesters clashed with police in downtown Los Angeles on Friday as thousands rallied against U.S. immigration enforcement and former President Donald Trump’s policies. The demonstration, organized in response to ongoing ICE raids and mass deportations, escalated into violence after law enforcement intervened with batons, rubber bullets and tear gas.
The protest began peacefully with diverse groups—immigrant rights activists, pro-Palestinian supporters, and social justice advocates—marching through the historic core of the city, chanting and holding signs denouncing “border walls from Palestine to Mexico.” Tensions rose quickly when law enforcement, including heavily armed LAPD and National Guard troops, began blocking intersections and ordering dispersal. Several demonstrators, some masked and carrying flags or placards, were seen confronting police lines. OLA NEWS witnessed at least three protesters injured by rubber bullets, one bleeding from the leg, and several others treated on site by volunteer medics.
As officers fired tear gas to clear City Hall’s vicinity, demonstrators dispersed through surrounding streets, some taking refuge in nearby businesses. A group briefly occupied an intersection at 1st Street and Los Angeles, waving upside-down U.S. flags—a symbol of distress. The LAPD declared the gathering an unlawful assembly by late afternoon. According to AP and Reuters reports, more than 20 people were arrested and several law enforcement officers sustained minor injuries.
The demonstration reflects a broader national unrest amid debates over immigration, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the resurgence of hardline Trump-era rhetoric ahead of the 2026 midterms. “From Gaza to the border, people are tired of being caged and silenced,” said activist Carla Jiménez, who attended with her family. Calls to abolish ICE and denounce “militarized policing” echoed throughout the day, intensifying with each police maneuver.
City officials have yet to issue a full statement, though human rights organizations, including the ACLU and Amnesty International, have expressed concern over the excessive use of force. The protest, originally planned as a peaceful act of solidarity, ended in smoke, blood and accusations of state repression.
Reporting and pictures by Djamel Hamdad, OLA NEWS Los Angeles; editing by Alexandre Minguez.
