A man falls after being hit by counter demonstrators during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A man falls after being hit by counter demonstrators during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore

Protesters clash during a demonstration, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Protesters clash during a demonstration, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore

A woman is helped after being sprayed with an unknown agent during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A woman is helped after being sprayed with an unknown agent during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore

A melee breaks out during a protest, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A melee breaks out during a protest, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

A melee breaks out during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A melee breaks out during a protest , Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Stone Mountain Village, Ga. Several dozen people waving Confederate flags, many of them wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Several dozen right-wing demonstrators, some waving the Confederate battle flag and many wearing military gear, gathered in downtown Stone Mountain where they faced off against a few hundred counterprotesters, many of whom wore shirts or carried signs expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

For several hours, there was little visible police presence and things were largely peaceful. But just before 1 p.m., fights broke out and police officers in riot gear moved in.

Large numbers of police then dispersed the crowds.

The nearby Stone Mountain Park, the site of a large Confederate sculpture carved into a mountainside, shut down Saturday ahead of a planned right-wing protest, with authorities saying they feared violence could break out if the rally were held. Pro-Confederate, white supremacist and other right-wing groups had planned their event in response to a march by the Black militia group on July 4.

With the park closed, demonstrators gathered in downtown Stone Mountain. As tensions escalated, clashes broke out before police sought to disperse the crowds. 

Tags: Stone Mountain  confederate  Black Lives Matter  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  Georgia