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The City of Detroit has filed a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter activists, alleging a "civil conspiracy" and claiming the protests in the city "have repeatedly turned violent, endangering the lives of police and the public."

The city claims the activists participated in the conspiracy, "defamed" the mayor and police, and contends that the city should be awarded damages, The Intercept reported.

The city cites four protests that occurred in the city this year, and alleges that injuries to police officers included "cracked vertebrae, lacerations, and concussions," Fox News says, citing the report.

The repeated violence should negate BLM protest group Detroit Will Breathe’s claims that the demonstrations should be protected under the First Amendment, the city asserts, the report said.

The lawsuit was filed as a counter claim after activists sued the city in late August, alleging that police officers "repeatedly responded with violence" when demonstrators protested.

The protesters have responded to the city’s lawsuit by seeking support from national legal groups and by appealing to members of the City Council to cut off funding for the city’s legal action.

The city has received outside backing as well, the report notes, including from the National Police Association .