When four neo-Nazis gathered at a veterans memorial in Austin earlier this month to protest illegal immigration, a crowd of 25 to 30 counter-protesters allegedly got out of hand.

Three of the counter-protesters were arrested,and have now pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges, says the Austin Daily Herald.

The Oct. 17 protest was organized by Samuel Johnson of Austin, a member of the National Socialist Movement. Three others joined him, and a number of counter-protesters pushed in the group as they spoke, and some threw tomatoes, cups of Jell-O and other objects at the neo-Nazis, according to a police report.

Three were arrested: Michael Christopher Lawson, 21, of Memphis, but who resides in Minneapolis, and Naomi Alaska Snoozy, 21, of Minneapolis, have pleaded not guilty Monday to disorderly conduct charges. And Snoozy pleaded not guilty to one count of obstructing the legal process.

Austin resident Matthew Donald Novak, 20, has pleaded not guilty to unlawful assembly and misdemeanor property damage.

When Lawson allegedly was verbally aggressive and threw fruit, an officer used a chemical spray to subdue him. The police report says the spray hit others, too, because people were clustered together.