Eight arrested as protest prompts street closures outside Seattle City Hall

SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested eight people as protestors clashed outside of Seattle City Hall Tuesday evening.

Today’s gathering comes as fallout from a protest this weekend in Cal Anderson Park.

Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement Saturday, “Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason – to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood."

The group that organized Saturday’s event, Mayday USA, then organized today’s rally on the steps of Seattle City Hall in response to Harrell’s statement, calling for him to resign.

“To say that we came to attack is completely false and we would like to see a retracted statement,” said Jenny Donnelly, Mayday USA Co-Leader.

KIRO 7 has a crew on the scene and will update this story with any new developments.

Also on Tuesday evening, the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that they will be looking into Saturday’s events at Cal Anderson Park, saying, “We have asked our team to fully investigate allegations of targeted violence against religious groups at the Seattle concert. Freedom of religion isn’t a suggestion.”

Here’s where the street closures were originally expected to impact the evening commute:

The Seattle Police Department says a portion of 4th Avenue will be closed Tuesday evening for a First Amendment event and demonstration at City Hall.

The closure is between James Street and Cherry Street.

Drivers will need to use alternate routes on 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th Avenues.

No word on how long the closures will last, but it’s likely to have an impact on the evening commute through downtown Seattle.

King County Metro says the following bus routes will also be rerouted: 3, 4, 101, 102, 111, 150, 212, ST 545, ST 550, and ST 554.

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