Congressional candidate praises students who skipped school for anti-ICE rally after clashes left three hospitalized
Denver students who abandoned classes to protest ICE clashed with counter-protesters, injuring several and hospitalizing three; candidate Melat Kiros called the participants brave.
Hundreds of Denver students left their classes during the day to protest ICE at La Alma-Lincoln Park, some traveling up to an hour to reach the site. While most gathered peacefully, a smaller group surrounded and attacked counter-protesters, pulling hair, punching faces, striking with a metal water bottle and kicking a man, which led to three people being hospitalized. Police documented five separate assaults and cited two individuals for graffiti, though no arrests were made.
Authorities labeled the unpermitted rally unsafe and ordered the participants to disperse. Candidate Melat Kiros, the Democratic nominee for Colorado’s 1st district, attended and described the students as brave for confronting what she called a “fascist administration.” Denver Public Schools staff and adult organizers attempted to redirect the youths, but the confrontation escalated.
Why it matters
The incident shows how student activism, public safety concerns, and political endorsement intersect in contentious protests.
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