Rallies to repudiate hate speech and promote peace stretched from Laguna Beach to Boston on Saturday, August 19, one week after a violent white supremacist march led to bloodshed in Charlottesville, Va.

“No hate. No KKK. No racist USA,” were among the chants ringing out at a unity rally near Laguna’s Main Beach, where about 350 demonstrators gathered. There were no major confrontations, and no arrests.

The “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” event was held a day before an “America First! Electric Vigil for the Victims of Illegals and Refugees” planned for the same area.

Up the coast in Venice, about 150 people gathered Saturday near the boardwalk for an anti-racism march. No incidents were reported.

Thousands of demonstrators chanting anti-Nazi slogans converged in downtown Boston, meanwhile, in a boisterous repudiation of white nationalism, dwarfing a small group of conservatives who cut short their planned “free speech rally.”

And in Berlin, left-wing groups and Berlin residents prevented more than 500 far-right extremists from marching Saturday to the place where high-ranking Nazi official Rudolf Hess died 30 years ago.

Police keep a watchful eye on protesters reacting to last week’s violence in Charlottesville, Va. Several hundred peaceful demonstrators took part in the the event, “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” in downtown Laguna on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ivan Enriquez of Santa Ana takes part in the “From Charlottesville to Laguna Beach: We Stand Together” rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. He said he would not be attending Sunday’s rally. “I thought protesting today would be more positive,” he said about opposing groups coming together on Sunday for another rally.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Hundreds of peaceful protesters line PCH in Laguna Beach rallying against the violence that happened last week in Charlottesville, Va. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Protesters make their point during a rally in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2017. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The owner of this dog, among hundreds of protesters in Laguna Beach, wants to “Make America Human Again.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)



A man yells at protesters in Laguna Beach where hundreds came together to show solidarity against the violence in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The decision to hold the Laguna Beach rally a day ahead of the “America First!” event was intentional.

“It’s a nice, safe way to have people show up and show their support for equality and not have to interact with the people on Sunday,” said Gary LeFevre, president of the Laguna Beach Democratic Club.

The rally was hosted by Indivisible OC 48, Indivisible OC-CA 46, the Laguna Beach Democratic Club, Together We Will Orange County, Women for American Values and Ethics and Orange County Justice Collaborative.

“Disgust” with the deadly and hate-filled demonstrations in Charlottesville brought him out, said Aaron McCall, chairman of Indivisible OC 48, and a 27-year-old Costa Mesa resident.

“We firmly believe that white supremacy is not an American value and hate is not welcome in Laguna Beach,” he said.

“Laguna Beach doesn’t tolerate diversity – we embrace diversity,” Laguna Beach Mayor Toni Iseman announced to those assembled.

Her speech was met with a sea of cheers, as people raised signs saying, “The future is inclusive” and “We are one.” Just behind her was a giant banner stating, “Unity over division, love over hate.”

Drivers along PCH honked their approval at the crowd. After the first few speakers finished, participants sang, “This Land Is Your Land.”

Sabine Sato, a 49-year-old Laguna Beach teacher, emigrated from Austria 29 years ago. She always saw America as the land of inclusiveness.

“I’m here because I’m against hatred,” she said. “We’re all human and we need to work together.”

Sato held a sign that said, “Stand for tolerance.”

Joanna Weiss, founder of Women for American Values and Ethics, said the violence in Charlottesville motivated her to demonstrate.

The 44-year-old San Juan Capistrano resident and stay-at-home mom brought her 11-year-old daughter with her.

“I wanted to take a stand against white supremacy and for inclusion,” she said. “It’s about showing our children the world we want them to live in. The kids hear about Trump and Charlottesville and they have a lot of questions about the hate coming out of the White House. We have to talk to them about it.”

Trump condemned the white supremacists who incited bloody demonstrations in Charlottesville but he blamed “both sides” for the violence, drawing widespread criticism that he created a false moral equivalency between hate groups and the protesters who pushed back.

Laguna Beach police have announced they’re ramping up to prevent any violence from whichever groups turn out for Sunday’s rally. Sgt. James Cota told a reporter on Saturday there would be four times the number of officers.

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Protesters in Venice chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, white supremacy has got to go” and “Up with love, down with hate.” The slogan “Alt-Right-Delete” could be seen in various spots.

“I feel like I was silent for a long time trying to understand both sides,” said Caroline Crawford Johnson, 23, of Hollywood, “but this week has become increasingly clear there is one side.

“If you show up to a rally and the people you are protesting with have swastikas and Confederate flags,” she said, “you are responsible for either supporting that or leaving. If you don’t, you can’t use the excuse that there are good people there.”

Joshua Cook, 29, of Long Beach, carried a sign bearing the slogan “Hate Has No Home Here.”

“It’s my first rally,” he said, “so I was super nervous before I came.”

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In Boston, counterprotesters marched through the city to historic Boston Common, where many gathered near a bandstand abandoned early by conservatives who had planned to deliver a series of speeches. Police vans later escorted the conservatives out of the area, and angry counterprotesters scuffled with armed officers trying to maintain order.

Members of the Black Lives Matter movement later protested on the Common, where a Confederate flag was burned and protesters pounded on the sides of a police vehicle.

Later Saturday afternoon, Boston’s police department tweeted that protesters were throwing bottles, urine and rocks at them and asked people publicly to refrain from doing so.

About 10 minutes before that, President Donald Trump had complimented Boston police, tweeting: “Looks like many anti-police agitators in Boston. Police are looking tough and smart! Thank you.”

He also complimented Boston’s Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh.

Boston Commissioner William Evans said 27 arrests were made — mostly for disorderly conduct while some were for assaulting police officers. Officials said the rallies drew about 40,000 people.

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Police in riot gear in Berlin kept neo-Nazis and an estimated 1,000 counter-protesters apart as the two sides staged competing rallies.

Far-right protesters had planned to march to the site of the former Spandau prison, where Hess hanged himself in 1987, but were forced to turn back quickly because of a blockade by counter-protesters.

After changing their route, the neo-Nazis, who had come from all over Germany and neighboring European countries, returned to Spandau’s main station for speeches amid jeers and chants of “Nazis go home!” and “You lost the war!” from counter-protesters.

Authorities had imposed restrictions on the march; Organizers were told they couldn’t glorify Hess or the Nazi regime, carry weapons, drums or torches, and could bring only one flag for every 25 participants.

Among those demonstrating against the neo-Nazis was Jossa Berntje from the western city of Koblenz. The 64-year-old cited the clashes in Charlottesville and her parents’ experience of living under the Nazis as her reason for coming.

“The rats are coming out of the sewers,” she said. “(President Donald) Trump has made it socially acceptable.”

Hess, who received a life sentence at the Nuremberg trials for his role in planning World War II, died on Aug. 17, 1987. Allied authorities ruled his death a suicide, but Nazi sympathizers have long claimed he was killed and organize annual marches in his honor.