Responses had been organized during the week leading up to the rally. Neighborhood residents, the Toledo chapter of the International Socialist Organization, local anarchist organizations, and Anti-Racist Action groups from other cities coordinated in planning a massive protest aimed at forcing the NSM rally to be cancelled. The protesters directed aggression against the police, who responded by arresting dozens. This set off a four-hour conflict between over 500 protesters and the Toledo police force. Police cancelled the NSM march as the situation between police and the crowd escalated. Members of the NSM and their supporters were told to leave town with a police escort.