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SAN FRANCISCO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Six people were stabbed on Sunday outside the state capitol in Sacramento, California, and there was unconfirmed report of seventh stab wound victim.
Reports from Sacramento, some 140 kilometers north of San Francisco, said violence broke out between members of a white supremacist and neo-Nazi group and counter-protesters against its scheduled rally outside the capitol.
In a Twitter posting, Sacramento Fire Department described it as a "mass casualty incident."
The neo-Nazi group, known as the Traditionalist Workers Party (TWP), had planned the event for several weeks and stated that members of its California affiliate would be "marching in the city of Sacramento to protest against globalization and in defense of the right to free expression." With a permit from authorities, it was scheduled to begin at noon.
Witnesses said the group had some 25 members on the scene.
More people -- about 150 according to some accounts -- were there as counter-protesters. The violence apparently started before the rally began. And authorities immediately revoked the TWP's permit to protest.
The capitol building was locked down, as local and state police were deployed.
Officials said six people were stabbed and hospitalized, five in critical conditions. An additional victim of stab wound was reported by a local TV station but yet to be confirmed. However, none of their wounds were believed to be life-threatening.
Despite social media postings identifying some of those being helped as counter-protesters, there have been no official words about the identities of the wounded.
The TWP claims to be "America's first political party created by and for working families" and states on its website that "European-American identity is under constant attack by members of American institutions such as the state, education, culture and even churches."
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination in the United States, reveals that the TWP was formed in January of this year as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN), an umbrella group that aims to indoctrinate high school and college students into white nationalism.
The TYN was believed to be a small group established in 2013.
