AP – Police fired tear gas from the windows of the Arizona Capitol building to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating outside, as lawmakers briefly huddled in a basement.
The lawmakers were working to complete their 2022 session as thousands of protesters gathered on the Capitol grounds in Phoenix on Friday night, divided into groups condemning and supporting the United States (US) Supreme Court’s Roe vs Wade decision.
SWAT team members with the Department of Public Safety fired tear gas from the building to disperse the protesters. KPHO-TV reported the officers opened fire when several anti-abortion protesters started banging on glass doors of the building. It wasn’t immediately known if there were injuries or arrests.
The incident sent Senate lawmakers into the basement of the building for about 20 minutes, said Democratic Senator Martin Quezada. Stinging tear gas wafted through the Capitol afterward, forcing the Senate to move its proceedings to a hearing room instead of the Senate chamber.
Thousands of spirited demonstrators took to the streets on Friday in cities nationwide to protest the overturning of Roe vs Wade. Most carried signs, chanted slogans and listened to speeches.
