Just a few came to stir rage, harm

A subset of protesters whose aim was to incite violence came armed with flammable materials and hammers before engaging in hours of skirmishes with city cops in a dust up that ended with over 50 arrests, top police brass said Thursday.

The ugly altercations that broke out Wednesday night had nothing to do with the peaceful political protest that occurred earlier in the day — but the raucous rioters used that gathering as cover before peeling off to start fighting with watchful police officers, according to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, who said the demonstrators also wanted to damage property.

“I would say the intent was evident,” Shea said, standing next to an enlarged photo of items recovered by police Wednesday night at the melee in Greenwich Village. “It’s to sow chaos.”

“Who brings a knife and a hammer and flammable liquids... to a peaceful protest?” he added.

Police busted 57 people, including a woman they say punched an NYPD two-star chief and another woman caught on camera calling a cop a “fascist” and spitting in his face. Most of those taken into custody, 32, were given criminal court summonses. The others were arrested, mostly for disorderly conduct.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said the Wednesday night melee showed an “evolution” of protester tactics. Along with its fireworks and incendiary devices, the crew came armed with a plan that delineated which protesters would set fires, which ones would throw objects at cops and which ones would record it all on camera to use as propaganda, Miller said.

The protesters also have specific plans on how to incite cops to react, and then film the ensuing tussle so it looks like the officers are getting rough for no reason, Miller added.

“A number of people emerge and try to pull the person that is the subject of the arrest back into the crowd and end up physically struggling with police,” he noted.

Later, that video footage will be posted online “to make it look like cops are attacking protesters.”