This looks like anti-police agitation to you? pic.twitter.com/IhQq5VXk8T
— Christopher Michael (@KINGCHRXS) August 19, 2017
Under the guise of a “Free Speech Rally” today in Boston, Massachusetts, white nationalists and other members of the so-called “alt-right” and “alt-lite” had hoped to gather and present a unified front against perceived slights from the media and the rising left-wing coalition which has quickly organized in opposition to their far-right ideology and political violence.
Instead, however, the few dozen attendees at the right-wing rally on Boston Common were drowned out by upwards of 40,000 socialist, anti-racist and anti-fascist protesters–who clearly didn’t listen to Tina Fey‘s cake-eating advice the other night.
Observers noted, somewhat snarkily, that the purported free speech “rally” was anything but. Before they could even really start, the alt-right rally attendees were shouted down with cries of “Shame on you!” and other popular slogans like “No Nazis, no KKK, no fascist USA!”
Many of the left-wing demonstrators wore stickers bearing the face of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America, who was murdered in Charlottesville last week at the precursor to today’s rally in Boston.
Defeated and numbers pre-dwindled, the alt-right and alt-lite rally-goers eventually left well before scheduled–and were then protected by the Boston Police Department as they were escorted away from the surging crowds.
That’s when things got violent. Journalist, Eoin Higgins, who was there, noted:
Boylston and Tremont as the police geared up to extract the rally attendees via paddy wagons and force. A half hour street battle followed pic.twitter.com/St36JAIizg
— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) August 19, 2017
According to multiple witnesses on the scene and as reported by Vice, Boston Police used mace or pepper spray against anti-fascists and young, black men during and after the aborted rally. Some officers were reportedly grazed with bottles of water and allegedly had urine thrown on them after the chemical weapons were used against the crowds to get them to disperse.
At least 27 people have been arrested so far.
[image via screengrab; video courtesy ABC News]
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