About 50 U.S. Marines squared off against hundreds of protesters in front of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, with the crowd yelling in unison for them to go home.

The Marines will defend federal property and personnel, rather than operating law enforcement operations, according to an Army general.

The Marines wearing combat gear and carrying rifles are taking over some posts from National Guard members who were deployed to the city after the protests erupted last week. Those protests sparked dozens more over several days around the country, with some leading to clashes with police and hundreds of arrests.