More than 200 anti-Trump protesters are facing felony charges that could land some in prison for 70 to 80 years.

"Our experience in police custody [that day] was totally dehumanising. We were kettled, treated like animals and denied basic human rights and dignity," she recollects. "People were forced to urinate on the streets and denied water and food."

The arrests came after Black Bloc anarchists and anti-fascists clashed with police. Officers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters.

Anti-Trump chants were occasionally drowned out by the thuds of sound grenades and smoke bombs.

Left behind was broken glass from the windows of cafes, restaurants and banks. Declarations of resistance marked the walls and pavements: "Make racists afraid again," and "F*ck Trump".

Images of a limousine in flames later made it onto television screens and the front pages of news websites around the world.