Scores of protesters denouncing police violence against non-whites encountered dozens of people rallying in support of New York City officers on Friday (December 19) in a tense standoff outside City Hall that comes after weeks of mostly peaceful protests.

It was one of the first counter-rallies by police supporters since the chokehold death of Eric Garner, a black man who officers were attempting to arrest in July. The killing has intensified off a wave of protests around the country.

On Friday evening about 100 pro-police demonstrators gathered on a sidewalk in lower Manhattan, separated from dozens of opposing protesters by a metal barricade as a continent of uniformed officers cast a wary eye over the encounter. There was no violence.

The pro-police rally was promoted on social networking website Twitter with the hashtag #bluelivesmatter. It was organized primarily to display support for the work of police officers and to highlight the risks they take while doing t