‘Any violence, racism, or display of hate by any group or individual is extremely prohibited…’
(Ben Sellers, Liberty Headlines) A group of Marine Corps. reservists may have gone to a Philadelphia “We the People” rally on Nov. 17 seeking solidarity with “all Patriots, Militia, 3%, Constitution-loving Americans, pro good cop, pro ICE, pro law and order, pro life, pro American value, pro gun and anti illegal immigration” demonstrators.
Instead, they were assaulted near the birthplace of American independence by a gang of criminal, domestic-terrorist thugs associated with Antifa, who called the servicemen “Nazis” and “white supremacists,” according to Philadelphia magazine.
The magazine said it was unclear from available information whether the victims were, in fact, participants in the rally prior to the assault.
One of the ringleaders of the city’s Antifa movement, 33-year-old Tom Keenan, has now turned himself in for the crime and is being charged with two counts each of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and reckless endangerment.
According to police, the suspects—described as “numerous males and females” sprayed Mace at the Marines and then punched and kicked them, as well as stealing a cell phone. Although the perpetrators fled the scene, police released a video showing some of them earlier in the day, which may have helped identify Keenan.
Police have not released the name of the accusers and continue to investigate. Keenan faces a preliminary hearing on Dec. 6.
According to the magazine, Keenan had been identified on numerous alt-right blogs as being a leader of the Philly Antifa group.
A video on Youtube appeared to depict him pepper-spraying demonstrators at the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Keenan was arrested at a previous rally involving the Ku Klux Klan in 2007, where he faced a litany of charges, including criminal mischief, vandalism and resisting arrest.
Previous reporting from Philadelphia magazine indicated widespread anxiety preceded the “We the People” rally, with left-wing groups like the ironically named “PushBack” campaign calling on countermeasures despite organizers saying they condemned violence or hate.
“Any violence, racism, or display of hate by any group or individual is extremely prohibited. Any group or party violating these conditions will be removed from this event immediately,” the rally’s event page on Facebook said.
The furor on the Left also resulted in doxxing, with one Comcast employee being fired after accusations that he was a member of the Proud Boys, a right-wing group with alleged ties to violence and white supremacy.
In recent weeks, a number of Democratic politicians—including Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder and Nancy Pelosi—have drawn criticism for public statements in which they seemed to be advocating and signaling violence against those with opposing point of views.
Others, including shooting victim Steve Scalise, the current House majority whip, condemned the calls for hostility and incivility.