Crime & Safety

Anti-Islam Protest at Arab International Festival Results in Disorderly Conduct Charges

Despite a littering of thrown debris and profanity, the majority of the festival remained undisturbed as a radical Christian group made its way through the fair Friday.

For a brief moment Friday, the song "Why Can't We Be Friends?" blared over the speakers of a ride at the in Dearborn; but nearby, an anti-Islamic protest made its way down Warren Avenue, drowning out the lyrics' message of friendship with the angry shouts of attendees.

The incident led to two charges of disorderly conduct, according to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department.

While the majority of the festival remained unscathed, the Bible Believers–a small contigent with an anti-Islam message–protested at the fair on Warren Avenue.

Find out what's happening in Dearbornwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Near them, separated by Wayne County police, a crowd of 50-100 counter-protesters contested the group's presence with words and actions. Most were teenagers, while several adult festival-goers urged the youth to break up their groups and ignore the protest.

The group, armed with signs preaching messages against Islam, stayed for about an hour and a half. Bottles were thrown, swear words were shouted and obscene gestures were made while the police routinely stopped in to separate the groups.

Find out what's happening in Dearbornwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Midway through the affair, four mounted police officers were brought in to quell the crowd.

In total, the festival stretched several blocks and the protestors affected only a small area of the event.

Nonetheless, two festival attendees were detained and issued citations for disorderly conduct, according to Wayne County Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar.

No official arrests were made, and Jaafar said his team was please overall with the outcome.

"[It's a] great family-oriented festival," Jaafar said. "The atmosphere right now is phenomenal–all the kids are having a good time, and we're doing our best to keep everyone safe and I think our guys are doing a great job at it."

Shortly after the protestors arrived at 6 p.m., they were asked by police to refrain from using their megaphone. They began at the east end of the festival, progressing west and making a handful of stops before exiting the festival at about 7:30 p.m.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.