US protesters stabbed in clash with KKK

Several stabbed and 13 arrested after scuffles between white supremacists and anti-racism demonstrators in California.

White supremacists from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) group and anti-racism protesters have clashed in the US state of California during rival demonstrations, with several people stabbed and injured in scuffles.

All three stabbing victims, including one suffering critical injuries, were part of a group that faced off with the rallying KKK members on Saturday in the city of Anaheim, police said.

Brian Levin, a witness, told the AFP news agency that several KKK members also suffered injuries ranging from minor to significant.

Thirteen other members of both sides were arrested after the clashes.

"It appears six KKK people arrived and were immediately attacked by counter-protesters, which led to a counter-protester being stabbed," local police spokesman Sergeant Daron Wyatt said.

The initial clash spurred several separate fights, Wyatt added, noting that two KKK members were stomped on by the crowd.
Of those arrested, six were KKK members and seven were from the rival demonstration, Wyatt added.

Levin said that the the counter-protesters "smashed the side window of the Klan SUV and the front windshield ... At that point, the crowd got extremely violent".

The US has between 5,000 and 8,000 KKK members, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Although it has historically targeted black people, the KKK has also launched attacks against Jews, immigrants, gays and lesbians. Until recently, it attacked Catholics as well.