WEST CHESTER, Pa. -- Residents gave the Ku Klux Klan a rough reception when about 25 Klansmen marched through downtown Saturday.
Hundreds of spectators, watched by 200 police officers in riot gear, jeered and hooted as the Klan members, wearing the hooded robes that are the group's trademark, marched through downtown West Chester.
Some crowd members shouted obsenities at the Klan marchers, who yelled back at the counter demonstrators.
Most businesses along the two-block parade route heeded a call by city officials to close their doors during the event as a show of displeasure for the Klan.
A few scuffles broke out as spectators tried to rush police lines to get at the marchers, and 12 spectators were arrested. One state trooper was injured when he was struck by an unidentified object, but he was treated and released.
After the Klan finished its 15-minute parade, most of the spectators took to the streets in an impromptu unity march. Meanwile, about 1,000 persons attended a counter rally at West Chester University to show racial harmony in the community, located about 25 miles west of Philadelphia.
