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16 arrested in counterprotest to Blue Lives Matter march in Philly

Police said the counterprotesters were part of the group Antifa.

Philadelphia police arrested several counter-protesters who gathered in response to a 'Blue Lives Matter' march. (File photo)
Philadelphia police arrested several counter-protesters who gathered in response to a 'Blue Lives Matter' march. (File photo)Read moreJennifer Midberry / Daily News file photo

A sparsely attended Blue Lives Matter march in Center City on Saturday led to a much larger counterprotest, with police arresting 16 from that group.

Police said they were part of Antifa, which is short for antifascist. About 75 people had gathered near City Hall and disrupted traffic. Some of the counterprotesters fought with officers, police said. Nine people were cited for failure to disperse, and seven were charged with disorderly conduct.

Video showed police making arrests.

The counterprotesters and demonstrators with Blue Lives Matter, a movement to honor police officers, never encountered each other. About 20 people showed up for the march, which started at Independence Hall and went through Center City. WHYY reported that the march was detoured to avoid the counterprotesters. The Blue Lives Matter march appears to have been organized on Facebook.

Blue Lives Matter was created in response to Black Lives Matter, a movement that has called out police killings of people of color.