White Supremacists, demonstrators square off in LA

A white supremacist group salutes American flags and banners with swastikas at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday, April 17,2010. Hundreds of counter-protestors carrying anti-Nazi signs have gathered in downtown Los Angeles where a white supremacist group is rallying. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A white supremacist group rallied against illegal immigration in downtown Los Angeles Saturday as hundreds of counter-protesters gathered to shout them down in a tense standoff that included several arrests, thrown rocks and police in riot gear.

Police officers stood between the white supremacists and counter-demonstrators on the south lawn of Los Angeles’ City Hall, where about 50 members of the National Socialist Movement waved American flags and swastika banners for about an hour.