Boxing Day comes a day after Christmas and 40 protesters faced off with plenty of shouting but no punches at the end of Monument Avenue in what has become a weekly verbal clash between Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrators and outgoing President Donald J. Trump’s supporters.
More than a dozen Swampscott police officers and State Police troopers stood along the demonstration’s perimeter and kept Humphrey Street traffic flowing as Massachusetts 4 Trump founder Dianna Ploss and BLM marchers traded jibes and taunts amplified by megaphones with both sides waving flags emblazoned with slogans.
The morning protest produced no arrests as of 11 a.m. but past protests have resulted in arrests. Past demonstrations coinciding with the Nov. 3 election attracted many more participants, prompting police to keep the warring sides separated.
On Saturday, in keeping with past demonstrations, waist-high metal barriers were set up to help separate demonstrators and allow beachfront walkers and runners to move unimpeded.
