Police in Phoenix used tear gas to disperse large crowds protesting outside a rally held by US president Donald Trump Tuesday evening. The protests, which were initially largely peaceful, turned violent after an hour-long speech during which Trump portrayed himself as the biggest victim of the Charlottesville controversy and labeled the media "liars," "sick people," and "crooked."
Thousands gathered outside the Phoenix Convention Center in stifling 100+ degree heat carrying posters and banners—many of them referencing Trump's comments in the wake of the Charlottesville violence where he laid the blame "on both sides."The violence was ignited just before 9 PM as Trump's speech was concluding inside, when "people in the crowd began fighting and throwing rocks and bottles at police," Sgt. Jonathan Howard, of the Phoenix Police Department, said in a statement to CNN.
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