Monday, August 28, 2017

LA Times -- Violence breaks out at Berkeley protest

  
Robert Reich summarizes the violent protest at Berkeley:

The LA Times reports that thousands of counter-protesters took to the streets of Berkeley today where they clashed with a handful of Trump supporters, leading to violent clashes and at least 14 arrests.

According to the LA Times, some anti-facist protesters, known as Antifa, pounced when Joey Gibson, founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, showed up with his crew. They beat one man with a shield and another person wearing an American flag. Some Antifa protesters also threatened to break the cameras of anyone who filmed them, including journalists. One reporter tweeted that he had been pepper sprayed in one scuffle.

According to the Washington Post, black-clad anarchists attacked at least five people. More than 100 hooded protesters, with shields emblazoned with the words “no hate” and waving a flag identifying themselves as anarchists, busted through police lines.

If these reports are correct, the Antifa and black bloc anarchists have given Trump supporters exactly what they wanted in coming to Berkeley: footage of violence perpetrated against them.

How stupid can they get?

No one cannot expect to reduce hate with more hate, or contain violence with more violence.

(YouTube video capture)

By James Queally, Paige St. John, Benjamin Oreskes, David Zahniser