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Opposing groups gather in nonviolent protest at Dublin Confederate monument

The sheriff's office put out two separate statements saying rumors of a violent protest were false

MACON, Ga. — Two opposing groups gathered near the courthouse in downtown Dublin Thursday.

They began arriving around 4 p.m. and about two dozen people attended in total.

Many gathered downtown, with people on one side of the street in trucks waving flags in support of President Trump, while others protested the city's Confederate monument and held signs saying "Black Lives Matter."

On the other side of the street, people called for the removal of Dublin DA Craig Fraser.

One protester who said he was there to defend the Confederate monument and his southern heritage, said, "What's right is southern history. You can't change it, no matter how hard you try. There's no need in causing trouble, stirring up trouble over monuments, over heroes to us. They may not be heroes to other people, but they are heroes to us."

Police were stationed in plain clothes around the square and in front of the Confederate monument.

The protest was not violent, contrary to false Facebook claims the Laurens County Sheriff's Office has debunked at least twice in the last 24 hours.

The sheriff's office concluded its most recent post by asking people to stop sharing social media rumors that don't contain facts.

"Please do not spread any false narratives that have not been vetted or verified," they wrote.

The protest ended around 7 p.m. after law enforcement set a deadline, saying protesters would risk being arrested for trespassing if the area wasn't cleared by that time.

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