Oh no: violent protesters! An NYPD police association is threatening lawsuits against protesters who assault police officers and is warning of "growing violence," even as Occupy Wall Street has proven its non-violence time and again.

According to the New York Post, the president of NYPD's Sergeant's Benevolent Association has threatened to sue any protester who injures a police officer.

"In light of the growing violence attendant to the 'Occupy' movements across the country, particularly as evidenced by the recent events in Oakland, I am compelled to place these so-called 'occupiers' on notice that physical assaults on police officers will not be tolerated... Protesters are not immunized from civil liability merely because their victims are wearing the uniform of the New York City Police Department.

From the NYPD's description, and the Post article, you'd think members of the Black Bloc have been running around throwing bricks at NYPD officers' heads for weeks. But the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York have been non-violent; whatever scuffles have erupted have been sparked by police aggression.

There was the notable exception of a small group of Oakland occupiers who allegedly threw bottles at Oakland PD last night—and were met with an overwhelming barrage of tear gas and beanbags—which just highlights how overwhelmingly peaceful the other demonstrations have been.

Still, the NYPD Sergeant Association claims over 20 officers have suffered protest-related injuries in New York. Salon reporter Justin Elliott, who has been following the movement closely, is skeptical:

Occupy has been almost without exception been a non-violent movement. The vast majority of participants I've encountered in New York are committed to the principle of non-violence. I've previously written about adventurist elements in Zuccotti Park, but on all the marches I've been on in New York, I have never seen anything close to an assault on a police officer. Nor has there been video of such an assault, to my knowledge.

Actually we do remember one incident of violence against a police officer caught on tape: An NYPD officer accidentally got a blast to the face when Anthony Bologna pepper-sprayed those female protesters.

[Image via Getty]