Dozens of far-left Antifa demonstrators marched in the streets of New York City on Jan. 10, and while the demonstration was largely peaceful, a female social media journalist was attacked for “supporting Trump.”
The march was organized by Outlive Them NYC and United Against Racism and Fascism (UARF) NYC, which called for a “mass mobilization” of Antifa supporters in Midtown Manhattan in response to a “Stop the Steal” rally that was set to take place at Columbus Circle on Jan. 10.
While the “Stop the Steal” rally didn’t take place, Antifa groups still gathered and marched from 59th Street to Madison Square Park, according to photos and reports posted on social media. Some carried makeshift shields, while others held signs, including ones calling for defunding the police and “against racism and fascism.”
Footage from the march showed a large group of demonstrators marching and chanting: “Whose streets? Our streets!” Other video posted on social media showed a protester dressed in a police uniform wearing a pig mask walking alongside New York Police Department officers. Another video showed demonstrators walking through Times Square, holding various signs.
While the organizers billed the event as “a show of solidarity, joyful defiance, and community self-defense,” social media journalist Tara Szczepanski was attacked, according to videos and reports from the scene.
“Footage caught across of when I was trying to get away, and I’m screaming to get off me, they hitting me with the umbrella and then knock my equipment, when I picked it up they smashed the egg and hit me in the head, then knocked my phone off,” Szczepanski wrote in a tweet.
Video indicated a crowd surrounding Szczepanski, with someone smashing an egg on her head, and someone heard saying: “That’s it. She’s done. Let’s go, get outta here!”
In another video posted by Szczepanski, a man approaches and sprays her with an unknown substance while saying, “[expletive] wannabe Proud Boy,” while someone else can be heard saying, “She’s a Nazi, she votes for Trump.” The man continues to spray her, saying, “She supports Trump, why are you protecting her?”
Another individual holding a skateboard approaches Szczepanski, and says, “I will knock you out.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum seeking to block the entry of individuals affiliated with the far-left movement Antifa to the United States, the White House announced on Jan. 5, saying that the violence spurred on by the group endangers the fabric of the nation.
“Antifa activists have brutally attacked our law-abiding friends, neighbors, and business owners, and destroyed historic landmarks that our communities have cherished for decades,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement on Jan. 5.
“This violence and lawlessness has no place in the United States and will be called out for the domestic terrorism that it is,” McEnany said.
