Group to protest at Fall River court over charges from “Blue Lives Don’t Matter” protest at police station

A group is planning a protest Monday at the Fall River courthouse concerning charges that occurred during an October 2020 “Blue Lives Don’t Matter” protest.

The group, which includes Occupy Boston, is looking for charges against Joseph Antuan Castro-Del Rio of Watertown to be dropped during Monday’s court appearance.

“The prosecution of Antuan Castro del Rio is a clear example of a Black Lives Matter activist being targeted and jailed by local law enforcement for the crime of protesting. On October 18, 2020, a young Latino activist, Antuan Castro del Rio, was protesting police violence and racism in front of the Fall River police station with a group of Black Lives Matter protesters. The action was a counter protest to supporters of Donald Trump who want arbitrary racist repression directed against Black folks to continue.”

29-year-old Matthew Scott, one of the organizers of the event, along with Castro-Del Rio, were arrested by officers assigned to the front parking lot of the station.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS LANGUAGE

Scott was booked for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest.

Castro-DelRio was booked for the same offenses but with added crimes for striking an officer with a megaphone and damaging a cruiser, scratching the hood, while being placed under arrest.

According to Fall River Police, at 9:30 a.m. a “Back The Blue” counter protest took place prior to the scheduled 10:00 a.m. “Blue Lives Don’t Matter” event which led to both groups being in front of the station simultaneously.

The FREE ANTUAN! protest is expected to take place Monday morning.