NEW YORK (AP) — Street protests rocked New York City for its worst day of unrest in decades Saturday, with fires burning into the evening and big crowds of protesters marching through the streets for hours, despite a plea for calm the mayor. Videos showed protesters dancing on top of a smashed police van, its lights still flashing. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, blamed the destruction on a small number of agitators who he said “do not represent this city” and were purposely trying to incite violence against police. Asked to comment on videos that showed officers shoving peaceful protesters to the ground and hitting people with batons, Shea said those acts would be investigated. The protests were all held in defiance of a statewide ban on gatherings imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Source: The Local May 31, 2020 03:56 UTC