Unity Party? Leftist Agitators Descend on MAGA Supporters in DC
Apparently, some on the left haven’t listened to Joe Biden’s left-wing rebrand.
All Biden’s talked about since the election is “unity” and “healing.” Look at the transcript from the speeches Biden and Kamala Harris gave after the media called the election on Nov. 7. The word “unity” or some derivative of it appears five times, according to a transcript. Derivatives of “heal” appeared five times, as well.
Everyone knew that no matter how this election went, there were going to be Americans on the other side who weren’t about unity and healing, particularly if they thought the electoral process had been unfair. If these people were to demonstrate, however, there would be nothing gained by the other side taking to the streets to oppose them. If they were violent or destructive, law enforcement exists for this purpose.
Thus, when the “Million MAGA March” happened in Washington on Saturday, one would question the logic of showing up if you weren’t showing support for the president — unless you were there to cause problems.
And there’s the operative part of the statement. People there to cause trouble is how this …
Freedom Plaza. Washington, D.C. #MillionMAGAMarch #StopTheSteaI pic.twitter.com/YackPj98OV
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) November 14, 2020
— Victoria Sanchez (@VictoriaSanchez) November 14, 2020
Turned into this …
WARNING: The following videos contain graphic language and violence that some viewers will find offensive.
chaos as a trump supporter’s flag is ripped out of her hands as she’s forced out while being threatened #MAGAMarchDC #Trump2020 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/exXL64s2dT
— eric thomas (@justericthomas) November 14, 2020
BLM rioter rushes in and punches a woman in the back of the head as she’s walking away. #MillionMAGAMarch pic.twitter.com/1lrfD4MLxW
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 14, 2020
As you can see, it wasn’t just the Proud Boys or agitators that were getting it. On Saturday, as always, those who dared to dine in the midst of the storm were also targeted:
Antifa and BLM members attack people who are eating dinner near BLM Plaza. They threw projectiles and a large firework. pic.twitter.com/w96nbZaJ8F
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 14, 2020
Of course, these diners were apparently Trump supporters, so it was OK.
According to Jorge Ventura of the Daily Caller, D.C. police made things worse by requesting that some pro-Trump demonstrators go through the same mob that attacked them:
DC Police blocked off BLM again so Trump supporters couldn’t get through and were made to go through BLM group which then attacked them. #MillionMAGAMarch pic.twitter.com/tS7YTEe51X
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) November 14, 2020
And here they are chasing the money-changers out of the temple, or something:
DC police move in after Antifa/BLM crowd trashed tables selling pro-Trump merchandise. pic.twitter.com/MzjrP4W3T2
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 15, 2020
And there was the requisite flag-burning, featuring standards of both the American and Trumpian variety:
Antifa burning Trump flags and MAGA hats on BLM plaza tonight after the #MillionMAGAMarch pic.twitter.com/UbY2LIfyJO
— Scriberr News (@ScriberrNews) November 15, 2020
President Trump called out “ANTIFA SCUM” and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser in a tweet about the violence.
Radical Left ANTIFA SCUM was easily rebuffed today by the big D.C. MAGA Rally crowd, only to return at night, after 99% of the crowd had left, to assault elderly people and families. Police got there, but late. Mayor is not doing her job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2020
The most talked-about confrontation involved a pro-Trump who was sucker-punched after he bowled over what one assumes is a leftist protester.
— Erin T. Sellers (@3Sellers) November 15, 2020
It’s worth noting that no one seemed to be in the right here. However, according to the district’s Metropolitan Police Department, there were four arrests in connection with the incident, all apparently from the anti-Trump side.
It’s also worth noting that as much attention as that fight got — which led to plenty of liberal bothsidesism on Twitter — there was a lot more of this sort of thing to be found:
BLM groups threaten elderly couple and attempts to steal their Trump Flag #MillionMAGAMarch pic.twitter.com/1kIYO2mg4e
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) November 14, 2020
What’s interesting is that none of this led off the coverage of the event. Just out of morbid curiosity, I checked two local news reports of the event (WUSA-TV and WRC-TV), two national outlets (Newsweek and NPR) and two international outlets (the BBC and the U.K. Guardian).
I wanted to see if the words “mostly peaceful” were used anywhere. Nope. Nor was “Black Lives Matter” deployed often. WRC used it in the context of noting some of the confrontations went down around Washington, D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza — but other than that, nothing. Specifics about arrests were nowhere to be found.
We had reportage like this from NPR’s Hannah Allam, who viewed the event with all due disgust.
“The nation’s political tribalism defies debate. Throngs of largely mask-free, conspiracy-immersed Americans turned the city’s Freedom Plaza into an alternate reality Saturday,” she wrote.
“Within that zone, there was no question that they numbered a million. Trump did not lose the election; it was stolen. Antifa is the nation’s gravest threat. Socialism is lurking around the corner. The pandemic is hype. Children are being trafficked by a cabal of global elites. And the nation’s valiant, outnumbered police are under attack.
“Parents bedecked in red, white and blue Trump paraphernalia said they brought their children to see a historic day, the day the patriots would ‘take back America.’ One man marched in Old Glory underpants and nothing else. A woman in a white Make America Great Again ball gown fielded selfie requests. An elderly marcher completed her crisp, preppy look with a hat inscribed with Q, for the mass delusion known as QAnon.”
Granted, Allam is a national security correspondent who focuses on homegrown extremism — although it’s curious that NPR would send her as its primary correspondent for the event, a clear case of confirmation bias if there ever was one. However, every report made it clear who the bad guys were, and for the mainstream media, it wasn’t the ones throwing firecrackers in the direction of Trump supporters who were eating.
As for the agitators, there are certain people who’ll never want unity. That’s understandable. If those who claim to want unity and healing won’t call them out, however — or will only do so reluctantly — they ought to be held to account, as well.
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