Antifa Starts Nightly Protests
By Alex Lloyd Gross
Antifa and Resist Fascism. two protest groups held different events over the weekend of November 4 2017 in center city Philadelphia. Antifa has a reputation for being violent but during the weekend events, nothing got out of hand. Basically, the two groups have come together to call out Donald Trump. They want him to resign as President of the United States. The liberal groups are upset that he is intent on dismantling healthcare for the poor , calls climate change a joke and wants to deport immigrants. They are also mad that he is touting tax cuts over raising the minimum wage.
The rally was held at Thomas Payne Plaza, about 20 feet from the Rizzo statue. There were speeches and chalk drawing but no vandalism. There were plans to march around city hall. There were also plans to march through center city. During these marches, a group does raise awareness but when they block traffic, it only alienates people that have places to go. If you have to get to the airport but cannot, due to a protest you are not going to be sympathetic to their cause.
There were plenty of police to make sure no one tipped over the Rizzo statue, or got too out of hand. One protester, who identified himself as Mike, brought a homemade jail cell and fantasized about seeing Donald Trump in jail. When another male started to question him, and got testy about what he was doing, cops were quick to remove the male from the area, and let Mike stay in his prison cell.
Both sides were videotaping, with the police and protesters taping each other. Even passers by stopped to grab a quick photo to see what all the fuss was about. In some instances, Antifa have turned against the media, by assaulting camera crews that show up to document them. They claim to not want to be photographed. In some instances,their members have resorted to violence. In short, when you present yourself on a public street you cannot demand someone not take your photo. It’s guaranteed under the constitution. Yet, in these instances across the country, those Antifa members wanted to resort to their own brand of fascism to stop the press. There was none of that nonsense over the weekend.
About 300 people showed up. This is a very liberal group, consisting of transgender, bi and homosexuals. They worship every religion imaginable. There was a small counter protest group who preached against homosexuality and called other protesters names.