Thousands of Boston protesters mostly peaceful last weekend

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Counter-protests in Boston swelled to 40,000 in response to a free speech rally held Saturday on the Boston Common.

A marching band played songs in the street while the crowd danced and sang around them, chanting “We don’t want to go to war.” Like a field day for activists, different groups and causes dotted the common, clustering under the shade of trees, playing music, or milling around and reading the different protest signs.

Things became less family-friendly closer to where the police were escorting the free speech ralliers out of the Common. A crowd gathered around an exiting van and began banging on the windows and yelling. Later, a group of police on bicycles made a quick exit after the crowd began yelling that they were protecting the Ku Klux Klan.

The counter-protesters mostly maintained their composure, however, at the end of the day, 27 people were arrested, according to the Washington Post.