Peaceful protests took place in Olympia on Saturday

The Olympia Police Department confirmed that the weekend remained relatively peaceful amid community concern of another possible violent attack.

As anticipated, a group of protesters gathered in front of the Olympia City Hall at 2 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 18 to voice their support for Proud Boys over the recent downtown brawl. The Washington State Patrol also noted that an earlier protest with around 300 participants took place at the state’s Capitol Campus.

A city official took to the city’s Facebook account to write, “A group of protesters gathered in front of Olympia City Hall this afternoon as anticipated. While the protest took place, we are fortunate that no violence ensued.” The news came following a violent encounter between Antifa and the Proud Boys in downtown Olympia on Sat., Sept. 4, which resulted in one member of the Proud Boys being shot.

In addition, the city used its Facebook page to thank the police and other staff who helped prepare for the event. “We are grateful to our City staff, particularly the men and women of the Olympia Police Department for their solid work and planning and their preparation to respond to what could have unfolded and for keeping the community safe. We thank our regional law enforcement partners for their help and support. Finally, we thank our community for your steadfastness, your engagement, and your resilience. OPD will continue to monitor events through the weekend, and we will keep the community informed.”