More than 600 protesters in Minneapolis were arrested late Wednesday and early Thursday for blocking a freeway during an anti-Trump demonstration.
The protest was led by multiple local groups, collectively known as “Don’t Let Trump Steal the Election.”
Demonstrators were speaking out against the legal actions taken by the Trump campaign to try to stop ballot counting in certain battleground states. Protest organizers said nearly 1,000 people participated in the demonstration, according to the Star Tribune.
Protesters began their march in downtown Minneapolis and made their way to I-94, where they closed down a 3- to 4-mile stretch of the highway.
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), the interstate was cleared at 1:23 a.m. local time on Thursday.
DPS said the arrests were made in order to clear the highway.
“No force or chemicals were used, and no protesters or law enforcement officers were injured during the incident,” DPS said in a statement.
However, march organizers said police officers trapped protesters on the highway for about five hours. In a statement, the groups said officers came “without any warning” and refused to let people leave the highway exit.
“Some were detained and are currently unaccounted for,” the groups added.
DPS spokesman Bruce Gordon responded by saying everyone who was arrested was later released from custody after “everyone could be cited.”
The coalition of organizations has called for all charges against the protesters to be dropped.
Trump’s reelection campaign has filed lawsuits in several battleground states including Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.