'Count Every Vote' Protest Leads To Clash In West Village

WEST VILLAGE, NY — An afternoon rally near Washington Square Park in support of the "Count Every Vote" movement led to a clash hours later between protesters and police in the West Village.

Protesters who had shut down traffic in the Lower Manhattan neighborhood at around 8:30 p.m. were met with a large group of police officers. Protests across the city on Wednesday led to nearly 60 arrests, according to the New York Times.

The confrontation between the two groups happened around Leroy Street and 7th Avenue.

We support everyone's right to self-expression, but setting fires puts others at risk and will not be tolerated. We are working to de-escalate the situation near Morton Street in the West Village to prevent further damage from occurring. pic.twitter.com/4nTK6UUBzC
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 5, 2020

"We appreciate and value the importance of freedom of speech. Our top priority is and always will be safety," the NYPD tweeted out. "We have arrested more than 20 individuals who attempted to hijack a peaceful protest by lighting fires, throwing garbage and eggs in Manhattan."

Videos on social media show the size of the crowd that gathered in the West Village and an assortment of physical interactions between police and the protesters.

West Village right now. #Election2020 #protests #NYC pic.twitter.com/h975kOrVBS
— Nicole Rae (@NicoleRaeGolf) November 5, 2020

Other videos show NYPD arriving on the scene in riot gear.

This is how many #NYPD cops showed up to a peaceful protest in the west village. Many of the cops with bikes and riot gear #Election2020 #nyc pic.twitter.com/zS7uTpKanU
— Cheryl Douglass (@cherdougie) November 5, 2020

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday he wasn't familiar with "all the details from last night," but did speak out against the setting of fires.

"Anyone who does violence clearly will experience the consequences of it. You're not supposed to set fires. That's really dangerous," de Blasio said during a news conference.

The New York Times described the police's tactics Wednesday night in the West Village as "kettling," which is when officers herd protesters out of the streets and on to the sidewalks.

NYPD then arrested people who went into the streets.

In one especially tense interaction, a protester spat directly into an officer's face before getting thrown down and arrested.

All of this took place as patrons watched from the West Village's outdoor dining scene.

Read More: Mass Arrests Made In NYC Election Protests