Hate groups shut down their own rally with violence

Shortly after members of fascist groups known as the Proud Boys and/or Patriot Prayer started a fight with anti-fascist counter protesters, police shut down the “Resist Marxism” rally on the State House lawn in Providence on Saturday.

This is the second time Boston-based, ultra-right wing political group Resist Marxism organized a rally at the Rhode Island State House and once again many right-wing organizations, including the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer, Southern Poverty Law Center certified hate groups, were in attendance.

Long before the rally began the Rhode Island State Police had set up barricades around the south side of the the State House establishing a wide area to separate the small number of rally organizers from the much larger group of anti-fascist counter protesters. Many of the police wore riot gear and there were police snipers spotted on the roof of the State House. The police barricades, made to be easily separated, were bound together with small bike locks.

Despite the wide area established by the police to separate the two sides, about 15 members of the Proud Boys and/or Patriot Prayer lined the outside of the barricades to directly face off against the anti-fascist counter protesters. Some of the Proud Boys wore red MAGA hats and many wore black shirts marked “SECURITY.”

It had been rumored for weeks that the Resist Marxism organizers had arranged for certain members of the Proud Boys and/or Patriot Prayer to be flown in as instigators and muscle. Tusitala “Tiny” Toese and Joey Gibson were identified as being there. Both live in Vancouver, Washington.

The counter protesters were organized by Ocean State Against Hate, an antifascist coalition here in Rhode Island.

The rally was set to begin at noon and continue until 3pm, but it was over by 12:30 at the latest, after a fight broke out between the Proud Boys and the anti-fascist counter protesters and the Rhode Island State Police ordered everyone to clear the area or risk arrest. The State Police seemed to be being assisted by Capitol Police and the National Guard.

My camera caught the moment the first punch was thrown by a member of the Proud Boys and the scene erupted into chaos. Warning: The video gets pretty violent. At one point a fire extinguisher is fired into the melee, some sort of smoke bomb went off and other foul liquids were splashed.

After the police moved in and broke up the fight the anti-fascist crowd began to chant, “who do you protect? Who do you serve?” at the police officers.

In the video below we first see the arrival of the police in riot gear, then we jump forward to after the fight and aftermath seen in the videos above. The police made the decision to forcibly disperse everyone from the State House grounds “regardless of your purpose in remaining.” Threats of arrest were made

The riot police advanced on the crowd ten steps at a time until everyone from both sides were off the State House grounds. As the anti-fascist counter protesters retreated, the Resist Marxism rally went on, with speeches and disingenuous calls for unity and understanding.

There was no one there to listen to them, and the police dispersed them as well.

Organizers of the rally promised to return to Providence.

https://upriseri.com/news/2018-10-07-ocean-state-against-hate/

In the video, the violence was started by the Right Wing. They are extremely violent characters!!

Well if you have been following the Charlottesville posts from the right wingers in the past, they clearly stated that the violence was started by the "Antifa" or "Lefties" demonstrators. There was no proof to that conclusion of theirs. But in this case we clearly see who threw the first violent punch if you viewed the videos.

Bud Plug said:

You're never going to learn how to interpret evidence.

One, never trust a video that cuts directly to the "point" the reporter is trying to make. There's almost always a reason that video is edited the way it is.

Two, even the edited video shows the Antifa demonstrator grabbing the Proud Boy guy's shirt just prior to the altercation. Once you lay your hands on someone, you can expect a physical response.

As long you and you and other leftists keep trying to paint groups like the Proud Boys as neo-Nazis, the general public will never trust the term "neo-nazi" when the media use it, even when a group really does espouse neo-nazi dogma.

p.s. Looks like another super job of policing, with the officers standing behind a barricade (which prevented any retreat or movement by the protesters) and standing idly by during the fist fights.
p.p.s. Don't you get the significance of the fact that ANTIFA agitators cover their faces, while groups like the Proud Boys do not? One group expects to do something illegal, and doesn't want to face the music for it, and the other does not expect to do anything illegal and is willing to be accountable for anything they do.

Click to expand...

Once again you are making excuses for these violent extreme right racists. I watched the video in slow motion and all that the person was doing was trying to protect himself by putting his hands near his own face, as he seemed rightly so to be expecting a random act of violence from this violent right winger. The video was not edited as you claim and the number of punches thrown were a real act of violence. Yes, the cops should have stepped in and arrested him.

Again, you seem to support the "Proud Boys" to the extent that they are "NOT doing anything illegal". Really?? Acts of violence like punching people in the face is "NOT ILLEGAL" according to your interpretation of the law? Now I can see why you so passionately supported Alex Fields and was pleading his innocence on this board!!