Police officers used pepper spray on anti-capitalist demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them during the march.
Five police officers have been injured and
nine people were arrested when a parade for worker and immigrant rights
in Seattle turned violent.
During the May Day gathering on Sunday, anti-capitalist
demonstrators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers and smashed
windows.
The city's mayor, Ed Murray, has blamed the "senseless
violence" on a "different crowd" from the hundreds who had attended an
earlier peaceful march.
He said: "It is deeply regrettable that in a city that goes
to incredible lengths to respect First Amendment rights, there are some
who disregard our values and engage in senseless acts of violence and
property destruction."
Police in riot gear used pepper spray to disperse the
protesters, who were dressed in black and had gathered at a park before
taking to the streets carrying signs.
On Twitter, the Seattle police department said one officer had
suffered a cut to the head, another was hit by a rock, and a third
officer was bitten.
Police chief Kathleen O'Toole said: "Nobody has been
seriously injured. Once assaults started and property damage started, we
took action. It's that simple."
Three people have been charged with assault, one with destruction of property and five with obstruction of justice.
Eight men ranging in age from about 20 to 32 were charged, along with a teenage girl.
Crowds gather every year on 1 May, in several cities across
America, to call for better wages for workers and an end to
deportations, but they often descend into chaos.
Last year, 16 people were arrested and three officers hurt when protesters threw bottles and wrenches at police.
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