Boston Police Ramp Up Security Amid 'Free Speech' Rally

Police in the US city of Boston, Massachusetts ramped up security ahead of a controversial "Free Speech" rally and counter-protests, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the site of events on Saturday.

BOSTON (Sputnik) — Dozens of dump trucks began arriving and parking in a perimeter around the Boston Common, a downtown public park where the Free Speech rally was due to be held.

The rally is expected to draw an assortment of conservatives and libertarians, as well as white supremacists.

Hundreds of police officers were arriving early on Saturday to the public park, where a handful of counter-protesters were starting to gather.

Police erected metal barricades around the site of the planned Free Speech protest amid fears that clashes could erupt as rival demonstrators converge.

The "Free Speech" rally is expected to draw up to 1,000 people to the downtown public park, Boston Common, while counter-rallies across the city could attract more than 20,000.

Counter-protesters will march toward the Boston Common, where police will attempt to keep rival demonstrators separated after a car attack by a neo-Nazi during a similar counter-protest last weekend killed a woman in Charlottesville, Virginia.