Violent clashes break out at protests

Armed far-right protesters tangled with counter-demonstrators in Kalamazoo and in suburban Atlanta over the weekend. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, police separated counter-protesters from a far-right group called the Proud Boys - many visibly armed and some waving Confederate battle flags. In Stone Mountain, Georgia, a majority-Black Atlanta suburb with a large Confederate monument, right-wing demonstrators with Confederate battle flags and military gear also clashed with counter-protesters.

Class discussion: Are protesters carrying weapons to a demonstration looking to start trouble? Are they using weapons to intimidate people who disagree with them? What could happen if heavily armed protesters and heavily armed counter-protesters confront each other? Would such a confrontation endanger public safety? Should police stop armed people from participating in demonstrations? Is the right to bear arms more important than the right to safely assemble and demonstrate? Why or why not?