A peaceful protest turned violent on Sunday evening when a group of 40-50 activists attempted to block buses that arrived to pick up conference dignitaries for a dinner at Shelburne Farms. The confrontation between protesters and the Burlington Police Department escalated. Police say they fired pepper spray into the crowd to defend themselves.
The protesters first tried to block buses arriving at the Hilton Hotel on Battery Street by standing in the path in front of the hotel. When the buses drove away about 40 protesters followed them to an alternate location on College Street behind the hotel, according to a statement from the Burlington Police Department.
At about 5 p.m., as the buses prepared to leave, protesters blocked the first bus by locking arms. Police warned the group to move before a crowd control team with plastic shields and helmets was deployed to walk ahead of the bus. As officers walked forward, protesters pushed back, sat on the ground or laid down on the ground with locked arms, police reported.
Officers tried to arrest protesters who then fled the scene. One protester dragged an officer 20 to 30 feet. Another officer fell over a sign and his helmet fell off. As protesters moved toward him, two officers discharged 8-10 pepper balls and a sting ball round into the crowd, according to the report. Police say they believe one protester was hit with the munition.
About 15 minutes later about three buses attempted to leave. Protesters again gathered to block the buses as police tried to escort them from the hotel. A woman who grabbed an officer’s baton was struck with two pepper balls, police say. Burlington police say they were not carrying rubber bullets.
No arrests were made. No protesters reported injuries Sunday evening. Two officers sustained minor injuries.
Mayor Miro Weinberger issued a statement late Sunday night, explaining that the city welcomed peaceful protests, but had to ensure the safety of conferees.
“Today approximately 400 people peacefully demonstrated for laudable environmental goals and brought important attention to energy policy,” Weinberger said. “I was glad to have the opportunity this morning to welcome a number of the demonstration organizers to Burlington at the Unitarian Universalist Church. For the great majority of the day, we observed an orderly demonstration in our City’s streets and parks facilitated by the Burlington Police Department.”
“Unfortunately, late in the day there was an impasse after a smaller group of the demonstrators attempted to block four buses of visitors to our City,” Weinberger said. “The Burlington police had the responsibility of ensuring the free movement of approximately 200 conference attendees from around the region and world. The police took extensive steps to clear a safe path for the buses without conflict and, when their repeated verbal warnings were ignored, they resolved the situation without serious injury to demonstrators or themselves.”
