Anti-Racist Crowd Overwhelms Small Far-Right Rally in Philly

  • November 20, 2018 6:17 pm

from Unicorn Riot

By Chris Schiano, Unicorn Riot November 19, 2018

Philadelphia, PA – Over a thousand anti-racist protesters gathered on Independence Mall on Saturday to oppose a “We The People” rally organized by right-wing groups tied to groups like the Proud Boys and the Three Percenter militia network.

The rally was organized by a Facebook page called ‘Sports Beer and Politics’, associated with Philly-area far-right organizers Zachary Rehl and Holly Delcampo. Social media postings leading up to the event showed organizers coordinating with members of the violent “western chauvinist” Proud Boys, a group which has been called a “gang” by its founder Gavin McInnes. Members of the neo-Nazi group, Keystone United (formerly called Keystone State Skinheads), had also indicated that they would be attending.

Around 10:30 AM, as both the far-right rally and the counter-protest began, Philadelphia police made their first arrest as officers with bikes pushed anti-racists and journalists across the street to create a wider perimeter. After police forcibly created a control zone, the event largely consisted of two opposing rallies on either side of the street. The far-right group had between 12-50 attendees throughout the day, with the anti-racist counter-protest opposing them made up of roughly 1,000 people.

See our livestream coverage from the event below:

(Correction: At times in our livestream Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Melvin Singleton is misidentified as Police Commissioner Richard Ross. Any reference to Ross in our stream narration actually refers to Singleton. Unicorn Riot regrets the error.)

Many different Philadelphia groups came out for the event, including several unions, the Philly Coalition for Real Justice, and a coven of witches.

Witches hex Proud Boys in Philadelphia. Photo by Unicorn Riot.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot, ‘Gritty’, who has become an international antifascist symbol, made several appearances, along with internet sensation ‘Grumpy Cat’:

‘Grumpy Cat’ puppet operated by two people at the anti-racist counter-protest. Photo by Unicorn Riot.

After about an hour of speakers with a sound system and a marching band drowning out the right-wing rally from across the street, two Proud Boys were spotted in the counter-protest crowd. The two men, David Kuriakose and Simon Greenwood, had previously been identified as present at the Proud Boys’ gang beating attacks in New York City outside the Metropolitan Republican Club last month. Kuriakose was charged and arrested for his alleged role in the Proud Boys attack, according to the New York Post. The two men were escorted across the street, after some counter-protesters pushed them and threw items like water bottles.

Proud Boys David Kuriakose and Simon Greenwood ushered out of the counter-protest in Philadelphia by police, as hundreds of people chanted “assholes” at them. Photo at left by Unicorn Riot; New York photos by Shay Horse in upper right & Sandi Bachom in lower right.

Another altercation occurred down the street a few minutes later, in which a man seen hiding his face from cameras appeared to have been headbutted. Police who were already present at the scene quickly made two arrests. An unconfirmed report claims this scuffle was the result of a case of a man being mistakenly identified as part of the far-right rally.

Shortly after that incident, 48-year-old Proud Boy Alan Swinney, wearing body armor and holding a large flagpole, left the right-wing rally area in an apparent attempt to provoke a confrontation with counter-protesters. Quickly surrounded by anti-racists and reporters, Swinney was quickly escorted back into the fenced-off “We The People” rally area by Philadelphia Police as well as federal park rangers (the Independence Visitor Center where the rally took place is under federal jurisdiction).

48-year-old “Proud Boy” Alan Swinney in Philadelphia. Photo by Unicorn Riot.

A few minutes later, a group of the “We The People” rally attendees walked away from their rally location on Independence Mall. The group then walked a few blocks, escorted by dozens of police and about as many counter-protesters, to the old Philadelphia police headquarters. After presenting an award to police inside the building, the group waited around behind their police escort waiting to get picked up. However, the group had a hard time getting a ride, as an Uber driver, and later a taxi driver, both declined to pick up the passengers once counter-protesters told them they were affiliated with the Proud Boys.

Around this same time, Philadelphia police made a major show of force by Independence Mall in order to prevent counter-protesters from approaching far-right rally attendees who were leaving. Video by local reporter Joshua Scott Albert shows officers pushing a man into a tree before hitting him on the head with overhand baton strikes. At around the same time, officers were ushering Alan Swinney, the Proud Boy who had shown up wearing riot armor, into his Uber.

Red liquid that seemed to be blood was seen on the ground shortly after the police beatings. Philadelphia Police did not directly respond to an inquiry about whether overhand baton strikes to the head are consistent with policy, instead directing us to visit a webpage that includes PPD use-of-force directives.

According to Philadelphia Police Public Affairs, a total of four people were detained or arrested on Saturday, November 17: two for failure to disperse, one for disorderly conduct, and another for allegedly assaulting a police captain. No attendees from the far-right rally were cited, detained, or arrested.

The day after the rally, The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story incorrectly claiming there was “no indication” that Proud Boys or Three Percenters were present at the rally. The story was eventually corrected two days later, but not before a headline on the front page told readers there had been “no sign of hate groups“.

The Inquirer’s curious claim was easily disproven by the documented presence of Proud Boys Alan Swinney, David Kuriakose, and Simon Greenwood. Numerous rally attendees were also photographed with clothes bearing the insignia of the Three Percenter militia movement, which provided security for neo-Nazis at Unite The Right in Charlottesville.

The event’s official organizers, Zachary Rehl and Holly Delcampo, also have their own unique and checkered backgrounds. Zach Rehl is the son and grandson of Philadelphia police officers, a fact he often uses when explaining the pro-police messaging of his events. However, Rehl himself has a criminal record, including a 2015 incident that resulted in him facing charges of aggravated assault, criminal mischief, terroristic threats, assault, reckless endangerment, and drunk driving.

Comments made by Holly Delcampo on Facebook have claimed that anti-racist protester Heather Heyer died in Charlottesville from a “heart attack” and “was not hit by a car“, echoing debunked conspiracy theories spread by the alt-right about the car attack at Unite The Right.

Notably, events organized in 2017 by ‘Sports Beer and Politics’ under a pro-Trump, pro-police banner, were attended by white supremacist extremists who were seen at Unite The Right in Charlottesville.

Unicorn Riot has previously reported on the involvement of “Three Percenters” in attacks and right-wing activity at demonstrations: Three Percenters attacked a Democratic Socialists of America gathering in Kentucky in September 2018; Three Percenter social media amplified false stories that Georgia police used to craft crowd management in April 2018; Three Percenters participated in an August 2018 rally in Portland; and through data requests Unicorn Riot recently determined that in St. Paul, armed Three Percenters were improperly released from police custody after detainment in the summer of 2016.

Live reporting, photo editing and research contributed by Dan Feidt, Unicorn Riot. 

Editors note: An earlier version of this story had mistaken Holly Delcampo for another person. Unicorn Riot regrets the error. 

How Gritty Saved Philadelphia

  • November 18, 2018 3:58 pm

from It’s Going Down

Report from Philadelphia, where a broad antifascist mobilization pushed the far-Right off the streets.

by Sam Bishop

In times of turmoil you often hear of certain individuals rising to the occasion and doing what must be done when others aren’t strong enough to do so.

In the city of brotherly love where many across the state are still reeling from the aftermath of last month’s deadly synagogue shooting, when faced with the prospect of far right marchers invading their city one individual did step up to the call. One individual did do what must be done when others weren’t strong enough to do it.

His name was Gritty and he was the one who scared the fascists out of Philly.

Only a few short weeks ago The Keystone State Skinheads, group whose members have been charged with hate crimes ranging from random attacks on minorities, to indiscriminately murdering the homeless had pledged to attend the rally. So had the now infamous Proud Boys who had been planning to attend the rally since its announcement just before many of their members were charged with assaulting protesters in New York.

Despite pledging to ban hate groups from attending the rally and despite the Proud Boys classification as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and despite the groups own founder describing the Proud Boys as a “gang” who “commits violence for fun.” Many of the organizers of the rally defended the group as tensions escalated.

The defense of the Proud Boys by the organizers of the rally only seemed to embolden those opposed to the rally who began organizing a counter protest named the “Push Back Campaign” and began monitoring some of the attendees of the rally. Going as far as to getting one man who was apparently invited as security for the rally fired from his job at Comcast after publicly revealing him as a member of the Proud Boys.

As more and more news came out about the rally, more members of the community became opposed to it. A local petition received over 1,000 signatures asking that the permit for the rally be pulled and fliers were put up around the city with pictures of far-Right leaders who vowed to attend warning citizens to be on the lookout for them.

Tensions escalated more as leaked chat logs revealed that right wing rally goers were planning to bring any weapons they legally could.

But as the day finally came the far-Right rally attendees were outnumbered within minutes. Police made quick work with their bicycles to push counter-demonstrators away from the sidewalk and across the street, allegedly injuring a protester in the process.

IMG_0029.jpg

As the rally got underway the number of right wing attendees expanded into tens of people while the number of counter-demonstrators swelled into the hundreds.

People from all walks of life showed up to oppose the Proud Boys they believed to be invading their city. Some at the event included Antifa and other local left wing political groups, while others were made up of ordinary people. Such as Priests, Rabbis and Veterans who came armed with signs that promoted peace and ‘civility.’

Chants were made and the crowd continued to swell until the number of attendees at the Pushback Rally passed 1,000 and the number of attendees at the, We the People Rally totaled at 34.

None of the promised Neo-Nazis or skinheads were spotted in the tiny crowd and though those who were involved in organizing the event had histories of clear bigotry most of those who were there resembled something closer to members of the Tea-Party as opposed to members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Trump and NRA hats covered the heads of those in attendance and heated conversations between self-described Libertarians and Republicans included arguments over whether or not Patriot Act became evil under Obama but Trump somehow is using it for good again or if it was always bad.

Speakers at the event included Tye Smith a black Trump supporter who is president of a police foundation that hosts its event dinners at the Church of Scientology and whose primary source of income appears to be through a company he owns which organizes erotic sex parties. [1]

Others who took charge of speaking during the rally includes a man self-identified as a Delaware small business owner who runs a Conservative Facebook page and who rallied against taxation being theft.

Just as he had begun to invite counter-demonstrators to send someone to cross the police barricade in order to debate him was when the first skirmish occurred.

Police began to mobilize and press was apparently pushed from the scene. Many of the right wing organizers assumed that the commotion was caused by Antifa attempting to force past the police barricade but it only took a few minutes before an officer explained how a member of the rally had snuck into the counter-demonstrator area and began attacking the counter-demonstrators. At that point they were instructed to wrap up the rally, which they soon did an hour before they had scheduled to end it.

After being followed by press and counter-demonstrators to a nearby a police station, officers formed a barricade around the exit to protect the right wing demonstrators until their Ubers could arrive. After two Ubers and a cab driver refused to pick up any of the right wing attendees upon learning who they were, many of the attendees at the rally were forced to simply walk home in shame.

Despite having three chapters and dozens of members in the state of Philadelphia I was told by rally security that only two members of the Proud Boys actually showed up.

What happened to scare away the dozens if not hundreds of far-Right members who planned to march besides the Liberty Bell leaving only the few moderate conservatives left to actually attend?

The answer of course is Gritty. More than a sports mascot or a grotesque assemblage or fur and felt, Gritty is someone that resides within us all. Gritty is an idea. Gritty is a drive within the people of Philadelphia that drove over 1,000 of them to spend their day making signs and preparing to march against injustice.

Perhaps it was the Gritty inside a twitter user who promised to ID anyone that showed up to the rally. Which scared them away. Perhaps it was the Gritty inside Reddit users who hinted that the Socialist Rifle Club would be armed and ready to defend themselves. That made them stay home. It could have even been the Gritty inside the people who posted flyers that identified likely rally attendees and warned citizens to be on the lookout for them. Perhaps it was the Gritty inside every single one of the people who showed up at the Pushback rally, and the Gritty that made them let the world know they would be coming that made the Proud Boys and the Nazis realize this isn’t a game and that the people of Philadelphia won’t let them be welcomed into their city.

All that matters now though is the few who came to the rally ran home hiding behind the police and regretting having come to it in the first place. While members of the resistance made history as Gritty today became the face of the revolution.

Call to Action to Oppose Proud Boys, Militias, and Neo-Nazi Skinhead Gang Holding Nationalist Rally

  • November 13, 2018 4:26 pm

from It’s Going Down

Call for a mass mobilization against far-Right groups rallying in Philadelphia on November 17th.

On Saturday, November 17, a coalition of far-Right groups spearheaded by The Proud Boys and various militia groups, along with Keystone United/Keystone State Skinheads, one of the most violent white supremacist gangs in Pennsylvania, will be gathering in Philadelphia for a “We the People Rally.”

We’ve seen nationwide the violence and bigoted terror that happens when the far-Right organizes under the guise of “Patriotism” or “Nationalism,” and we’ve seen the deadly consequences of an emboldened insurgent fascist movement that’s been allowed a platform upon which to fester and spread their toxic and evil ideology.

We urge all people who can make it to show up and oppose them, to not concede a single inch and to not allow them any chance to recruit or grow in power. There will be a mass action coordinated by the Pushback Campaign to oppose them at the Independence Hall Visitor Center at 10:00 AM.

We also strongly encourage people to autonomously organize themselves and trusted friends into action and to be creative with how to oppose these fascists and ensure that they do not feel welcome in our city. We must ensure that Philadelphia does not become a hub of their organizing and that they are impeded every step of the way, and we must inspire a broader base of support for opposing them in the future!

In solidarity with the Pushback Campaign and all Autonomous groups and collectives involved in organizing this stalwart opposition, and those doing similar around the world! More info can be found here as well.

¡No pasarán!

-Some folks in Philly who are against Fascism

The Philadelphia Fash Rally – a Primer

  • November 11, 2018 6:47 pm

from Idavox

About two weeks ago a Philly.com article gave a little #pushback to the so-called “We the People” rally happening Nov. 17 in Philadelphia being organized by representatives of the milita movement and Proud Boys, but the treatment didn’t go far enough in uncovering the ugly realities of their organizers.  Here are some important parts of the organizers’ actual backgrounds, the rally supporters and extreme statements.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – When the so-called “We the People” rally takes place next Saturday, opposition will be coming from well beyond the city limits because many are concerned about the element that is coming to Independence Hall is one that has been connected to the string of right wing violence seen in the country over the past few weeks and months.

Zach Rehl, left wearing Marines shirt poses with Ellsworth George Lewis III of the Pennsylvania Alt-Knights.

Zach Rehl, an insurance agent for Winchester Financial Services in Philadelphia, is noted in the article as the person who runs the Sports Beer and Politics blog and Facebook page, which he is using to organize the rally. While he tells the Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the publications covered by Philly.com, that his rally is about supporting conservative causes, the issue has been what kind of conservative causes might he mean. The Southern Poverty Law Center has noted his work as that of a “local right-wing organizer” known for organizing rallies that has attracted alt-right figures who sport imagery such as Kekistan flags which while is supposed to be part of a running joke among neo-Fascists today used to promote not-so-funny political positions, perfectly mimics Nazi World War II battle flags. Rehl like others, have been observed and photographed in a “seemingly…cozy relationship” with the Philadelphia chapter of the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights (FOAK), the self-styled “tactical defense arm” of the Proud Boys, according to the article.

The organizers’ networking demonstrate more problems. They recently worked with the Anti-Muslim ACT for America (ACT) which had nationwide “March Against Sharia” events in 2017, many of them attracting representatives of not only the Proud Boys but the White supremacist Identity Evropa. One person who spoke at a recent ACT event was Sonny Sullivan, a former Marine employed as a real estate agent for Keller-Williams in neighboring Bensalem, PA.

The organizers are seeking to connect with the “Three Percenters” paramilitary organization, along with others, for “security” and more. Planned participant and announced speaker statements are also unsurprising. Social media comments call for a “strong showing”; bringing knives, guns, and “whip[ping] some ass”; “NO MORE STANDING DOWN” (a military inactivity reference); and, that attendees “come… to crush.”

This mindset must not be dismissed since Holly Delcampo, another lead rally organizer has indicated that she is not above the irrational thinkings of this element. She is one who has attempted to absolve James Fields, the alleged driver of the car that drove into Heather Heyer at 2017’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA of her death by furthering the long dismissed idea that she died of a heart attack and similarly dismisses the political inclinations of Robert Gregory Bowers, the accused shooter at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, because he was an “anti-Trumper.”

Ironically, the Pennsylvania-based militia groups that were actually in Charlottesville that day are warning others to stay away from this rally, saying on a Three Percenter-friendly podcast that having such a rally “in a leftist part of the state” is problematic. “I was one of the first people contacted by the event organizer when the rally was starting to be planned, and I told her at that time this is a bad idea,” Christian Yingling of the Latrobe, PA-based Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia Laurel Highlands Ghost Company, said on the Big Sarge program last week. “I said, ‘You guys have tried to do this before,’ I said, ‘You got run out of there.’ I said…’When you’re in a war, you don’t attack your enemy when he’s the strongest, you attack him where he is the weakest.’”

While some militia groups might be keeping their distance, neo-Nazis have been promoting the rally on their social networks. A post on the Neo-Nazi website Stormfront announces the event, with at least two persons expressing interest. In a post on the Facebook page for the rally, Delcampo posted that any violence, racism, or display of hate by any group or individual is prohibited and any group or party violating those conditions will be removed. The involvement of the Proud Boys alone had been enough for those opposing the rally to be cynical at such a declaration, but Bob Gaus of the neo-Nazi Keystone United, which itself has militia ties in the state, posted on the page asking for information. It is not known if Delcampo addressed him and his intentions specifically.

The “We the People” rally will be held Saturday at the Independence Mall Visitor’s Center.

Keystone State Skinheads Plan to Attend “We The People” Rally

  • November 9, 2018 3:48 pm

from Facebook

ALERT: Keystone State Skinheads co-founder and de-facto leader Bob Gaus plans to bring a crew of KSS boneheads to the “We The People” rally being organized in Philly on Nov 17th by the Proud Boys and Three Percenter militia members. Fellow KSS member Bryan Vanagaitis has also been on the event page “liking” various comments.

The rally organizers have refused to bar them from attending, instead making vague statements about “displays of hate” not being allowed. What does that mean? It means nazis welcome, as long as you act in a media-friendly way.

Several KSS members are currently under indictment for a bias attack in Avalon, PA in which they attacked a black man at a bar. The last time an organized group of KSS came to Philly, they brutally attacked 2 Anti-Racists who were on the way to protest them.

We need EVERYONE in the streets to #pushback against this alliance of Nazis, Proud Boys and Threepers on the 17th! The rally organizers have their plausible deniability and that’s all that matters to them. KSS has a group of nazi-sympathizing rubes to use as cover and to swell their numbers. Stay safe, bring lots of friends, and don’t be intimidated by these bigots!

https://www.facebook.com/events/171281213803986/

UPDATE: A few of the organizers of “We The People” are claiming that they’ve told KSS they “are not wanted.” We are skeptical considering it took them hours to acknowledge that KSS intended to attend (while posting other updates on the event page) despite it being brought to their attention almost immediately by some of their own supporters. They then made the statement we refer to above about “displays of hate” not being allowed but made no comment about nazis THEMSELVES attending until, again, people called them on it. It seems at least possible, if not likely, that WTP organizers are being dishonest. Sports Beer and Politics, in particular, has a history of denying nazis will attend their rallies, rallying and marching with nazis, and then denying it after the fact or claiming ignorance. It is also very possible that KSS will show up regardless knowing that WTP organizers won’t do anything and that the cops will protect them, and then try and target Anti-Racists out to protest. For the sake of safety, we are assuming KSS will be out and about in Philly on November 17th and others should plan accordingly.

Stand Against the Proud Boys on November 17th

  • November 9, 2018 3:35 pm

from Philly IWW

The Philadelphia General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World voted unanimously at our October meeting to endorse Operation Pushback’s protest against the “We The People” rally hosted and endorsed by regional members of the Proud Boys and their paramilitary wing, the Alt Knights.

The Proud Boys seek to reinforce gendered, racial, and national divides among the working class, terminate financial aid for the poor, eliminate workers’ right to move to other countries, and deprive working-class women of employment and income so as to force them to become housewives. They openly glorify bosses and the rich (“entrepreneurs”) while misleading male workers into thinking they have common interests with wealthy men. They encourage chauvinist attitudes towards workers in other countries, inhibiting our ability to unify against multi-national corporations across borders by pitting workers in different countries against each other. For too long reactionaries have hidden behind “Free Speech” and “preserving the constitution,” but they do not sincerely want these freedoms and protections for the entirety of the population; they simply want to return to the days of white male supremacy and to maintain the rule of the wealthy.

The IWW, a pioneer of free speech advocacy, has long stood firmly against far-right hate groups, from the second Klu Klux Klan and the American Legion in the early twentieth-century to Vanguard America and the Proud Boys today. We call on all of our fellow union workers to join us on November 17th to let the Proud Boys know their semi-fascist rhetoric of hatred and militant sexism is not welcome in Philadelphia. If allowed to rampage around Philadelphia unchallenged the Proud Boys will commit hate crimes again. Please read the call from Operation Pushback, inform yourselves about the open hatred that the Proud Boys / Alt Knights espouse, and join us in the streets to celebrate a free and united Philadelphia.

ANTI BLUELIVESMATTER ARRESTEE FUND

  • November 1, 2018 2:50 pm

from Go Fund Me

A few months back, a group of people were arrested for allegedly protesting a “blue lives matter” demonstration in Philadelphia.

The same night as the arrests, the alleged protesters were told their charges had been dropped and were released.

In October, one of them was re-arrested, for no reason other than to receive charges for the same prior incident.

At the protest, the police were physically abusive and used their fists on people they were arresting. People were injured and traumatized and are now being vindictively harassed, hunted down and re-arrested because of the nature of the protest.

Other people who were detained or alleged to be involved with that demonstration may also find themselves facing retroactive arrests or charges.

Please chip in what you can and share with your networks to help the person who was re-arrested make their bail back, which was $1200.

Again, other people who were alleged to be involved with that demonstration may find themselves facing retroactive arrests soon, so we will need to raise funds for them as well.

Thank you so much for your support!

[Donate Here]

The upcoming “We the People” Rally is organized by anti-semites

  • November 1, 2018 2:22 pm

from Friendly Fire Collective

web_extremist-profile_proud-boys-2

cw: anti-Semitic imagery, violence, fascism

The far-right Proud Boys have proven time after time that they are a violent organization. Their front group in PA, Sports Beer & Politics II, is no different. Despite denying being racists, their page is a cesspool of fascism. Only a month ago, they shamelessly posted an anti-Semitic meme.

45013097_347620209333431_9148387611583184896_n.jpg

Again, we need to take the upcoming rally seriously and make it known that all forms of fascism will be opposed in Philly. The Right is escalating in their tactics, feeling bolder and more passionate about their genocidal cause. This rally cannot and will not go smoothly, especially after the recent string of terrorist attacks in the so-called U.S. from white nationalists, including a blatantly anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue this past week.

For more information, check out the counter-protest facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/171281213803986/

Proud Boy-Affiliated III%er Group to Rally in Philly

  • October 21, 2018 1:25 pm

from Ida Vox

When:
November 17, 2018 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where:
Washington Square Park
210 W Washington Square
Philadelphia, PA 19106
USA
Contact:
Email

Proud Boy-Affiliated III%er Group to Rally in Philly @ Washington Square Park | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States

In today’s political climate one cannot predict much, but we are still going to say not to expect the neo-fascist Proud Boys running around trying to play their games over the next year or so as much as they are now. After the fight at the Republican Club recently, they became the crew that everyone wants a piece of, and everyone will have their piece, you can bank on that. Even the right-wing New York Post – which is owned by News Corp, which also owns Fox News, who once employed Proud Boy founder Gavin McInnes – called them out as a “far-right hate group” in an article about right wing activists harassing Nancy Pelosi during a visit to Florida because someone in the crowd of activists beating on the windows repped the group.

Well, Philly is going to get their shot at them. A Facebook event page is up for something called the “We the People Rally” which is being organized by two groups, Patriot Events and Sports Beer and Politics, whose own Facebook page has two Proud Boys as administrators. As of now, the page is particularly benign with a disclamer saying the following:

We at Patriot Events and Sports Beer and Politics do not condone the use of violence by any party at this event. This event is to allow the people to make their voices heard. 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 hosts, planners, security, speakers or their affiliates, members or family will not be held liable for bodily injury or personal damages to anyone in attendance. All civil claims, attorneys costs for the aforementioned will be paid by the claimant.

There is a reason for that. Just before the Proud Boys made asses of themselves in NYC, they were boasting on this page that they were going to come to this event with the purpose of fighting people:

After NYC, these postings were scrubbed from the event page, but too late. Somebody already saw them. This is what people will be mobilizing against, despite the usual tapdancing from the organizers that they don’t condone violence and be vigilant against it. Folks are used to that tapdancing and are not buying into it. The Proud Boys also are good for the “I’m not racist” routine and their supporters point to their members of color. Well, they repped at both Unite the Right rallies in Charlottesville last year and Washington, DC this year, the DC outing featuring a Hispanic Proud Boy. So folks stopped giving them quarter, and are going to do something about them before they really cause innocents to be hurt.

Call for Actions: Defend the Vaughn 17

  • October 19, 2018 4:33 pm

from It’s Going Down

A call for solidarity with the Vaughn 17, currently on trial and to mobilize for a rally on the outside of the New Castle County Courthouse. Both called for on Monday, October, 22nd.

Call for Solidarity With the Vaughn 17 on October 22nd

On February 1st of 2017 inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in rural Delaware took over their unit in C-building; they held staff, released demands to the media, and made it clear that their motivation was not just a result of confinement but also the election of Trump. At the end of their 18+ hour occupation, one guard, Steven Floyd (known by all to be exceptionally abusive) was dead.

On October 17th of the same year, the Delaware Department of Justice charged 16 prisoners with Floyd’s murder and two others with riot, kidnapping, and conspiracy. Except for one snitch, all the defendants have plead not guilty and their jury trials will begin on October 22nd, 2018.

On this date, as the state opens its trial against these comrades, we are calling for solidarity actions and to show the Vaughn 17 that they are not alone or forgotten about, and to show the state that the message of the Vaughn 17 resonates loudly throughout plantation society and across its borders.

Join us for a Rally at the New Castle County Courthouse from 8 – 9 AM on October 22nd

In many ways the demands of the Vaughn 17 anticipated the 2018 National Prison Strike, calling for increased wages for their mandatory labor, and the introduction of rehabilitation and education programs. These comrades positioned their struggle inside against the threat posed by Trump’s election, which has now been realized in the increasing detention of immigrants and the rise of fascism on the outside. Since the occupation’s end, they have been subjected to extreme repression and violence, including beatings and the denial of basic necessities, including having their water shut off. Yet in the face of these hardships and the betrayal, 17 of the defendants are standing together, unwavering in their solidarity.

Solidarity is the most effective weapon we have against the State. When we come together we can keep each other, and the movement, alive and propel the fight to the next stage. If we all push together, their walls will topple!

Against the carceral state and the American plantation! 

Freedom and victory to the Vaughn 17!

#Pushback Stand Against the “Proud Boys” on November 17th 2018

  • October 18, 2018 1:15 pm

from Facebook

Far-right groups with ties to Neo-Nazis known as the “Proud Boys” and the “Three Percenters” are planning to attend a rally in Philadelphia on November 17th called “We the People”. They provoke and attack people on the streets who they deem to be unworthy of their far-right, fascist vision of the country. The Proud Boys were present in Charlottesville, terrorize residents in the cities of Portland, New York, and Providence, and have been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The residents and allies of Philadelphia must stand in opposition to this escalation of the far-right’s push into the city’s culture and politics.

We are urging people recognize the seriousness and danger of this situation, and come out to oppose them on November 17th at Washington Square in Center City Philadelphia. There is safety in numbers, so to ensure the protection of vulnerable individuals and communities, it is imperative that as many people as possible show up in opposition.

What to bring: Noise makers, signs, water, warm clothing and comfortable shoes, your friends and neighbors.

10/2 Anti-Trump Protest (and Gritty)

  • October 4, 2018 11:39 am

from Friendly Fire Collective

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Yesterday’s anti-Trump protest was organized and put together as soon as news came out that Trump was coming to Philly to speak. It was short notice, but several small protests were organized and eventually converged in a rally in front of the conference center that Trump was speaking in. Though a number of the protesters were centrists and liberals, the rhetoric of the rally was radical, tying together the many issues of this current administration with broader systems of policing, capitalism, imperialism, sexism, and white supremacy/anti-blackness.

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Many had reservations about this protest – about the messaging and the potential of violence and arrest – but we couldn’t not just not show up when Trump was in town.  Thankfully, nobody was arrested, and this was one of the few actions in quite awhile where police didn’t escalate the situation with violence. This action, with its moments of militant language, was quite positive, even joyful. As we chanted, “out of the sidewalks, into the streets,” some folks passing by excitedly joined. Flyers with upcoming actions and agit-prop were handed out.

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Of course, the new Flyers mascot Gritty was very present – on our banners, signs, and hearts. Somehow, in the past week, the leftists and anti-fascists of Philly have claimed Gritty as their own. And as hilarious and absurd as that is, it actually makes some sense. As George Ciccariello-Maher put it, “Philadelphia is an underdog city. That really impacts and runs through a lot of the politics, particularly the sports spirit throughout the city. So when you see the launch of this mascot Gritty, who is by all accounts a sort of hideous monster, the response from an underdog city is to say, ‘yeah, but he’s our hideous monster and if you don’t love him then fuck you.’”

All that to say, Gritty is basically a queer anti-fascist communist icon. Gritty’s revolution is the People’s revolution. Long live Gritty.

Labor Day Noise Demonstration Report

  • September 4, 2018 10:45 pm

Submission

Last night’s noise demonstration was fun and exciting! It went pretty well for most of its duration, though there were some moments of confusion and miscommunication that I think could be avoided in the future. I want to go over how things went and then address some successes, and problems I’d like to see us overcome as we continue to take to the streets together.

I met with some companions at a nearby location and around 8PM we marched together to the Federal Detention Center at 6th and Arch. Most of us were dressed in black with our faces covered. As we walked over, graffiti was painted and fliers about the strike were thrown into the air, the quiet streets were ours. Once we arrived at the prison people began shouting, shooting fireworks, throwing firecrackers, and making a bunch of noise together. Over the next fifteen minutes more people arrived and joined in, sharing water, whistles, and adding chants to the ruckus with a megaphone. Some people stood in the street blocking all traffic going past the prison, others gave fliers to this captive audience. People locked inside the prison shone lights and waved at us through the windows.

The police arrived after some time, but initially could do very little. There were only a couple cops and they protested that people were lighting fireworks and blocking the street but couldn’t so much about it. They were able to open one lane of traffic as more police arrived to back them up. By this time it was clear that the prisoners had seen us and that the police presense was growing, some police on bikes appeared. A decent time to make a dignified exit; we had broken the isolation of the prison walls, made clear our solidarity, and expressed a disgust for the police and their prisons.

We took to the street and went south to Market street with police moving alongside and behind us. We went around the block, against traffic, and circled back past the prison going west on Arch street. Here some of the march slowed down to make some more noise, while many of the masked comrades began to leave. It seemed to me that the feeling of the march then was a general leaning toward dispersal, though I cannot be sure. The cowardly police took advantage of the fact that many of the masked marchers were further away to attack those who had not yet left. They used their bikes and metal clubs to beat demonstrators and made two arrests, including a thirteen year old. After this it seemed like the demonstration was pretty much over. People went home or kept track of the arrested (both of whom are out – one with a citation, one with charges – at the time of this writing).

In many ways this demonstration was a success. The isolation of the prison was broken temporarily, news of the strike was communicated, the police were not able to control the rowdy energy of the crowd, and rebellion and freedom were celebrated with a festive enthusiasm. We were able to gather and move together under the police’s radar, it’s clear they were not prepared for a demonstration. A practice of sharing was present within the demonstration to a degree. In the longer term; tactics and ideas that during the 2016 strike seemed unusual and limited to a small amount of people have spread! The use of masks, fireworks, moving against the direction of traffic, and the creation of temporary barricades to slow police advances have become more common. Though these never spread as fast or wide as we would like, we can take a moment to appreciate the contrast between this strike and the 2016 one.

The arrests from last night might not have been preventable, we can’t know such things. What we do know is we can always strive to learn and to improve. We can open channels of communication before an action, especially one that hasn’t caught the police’s attention yet. Imagine if we had all met up in a quiet place to have a quick discussion on dispersal, legal support, and sharing supplies, before walking to the prison together. We could have some idea of what to expect of each other and the security of all masking off camera and arriving together. It might not have prevented the police from doing their job, some people would have shown up late and missed it, but it certainly wouldn’t have set us back by much. The same can be said to a lesser degree for communication once a demonstration has started moving, more easily within the bloc and probably with more difficulty beyond the bloc. To me these kinds of communications feel like they can increase our capacity, make more things possible, and keep us safer from the police. I know there are reasons we’re shy and secretive, that there is a lot of distrust, and that speaking to each other can be difficult, but let’s challenge ourselves!
How can we better communicate and look out for each other without compromising our security? How can we intensify our struggle? How can we spread it? What do we imagine is im/possible and how can we make it our reality?

Solidarity with the comrades beaten and arrested!
Fuck the police!
Strength and solidarity to the striking prisoners!
Fire to the prisons!

Noise Demonstration in Solidarity with Prison Strike

  • September 3, 2018 10:58 pm

from Twitter

Tonight in , a noise demonstration was held outside the Federal Detention Center at 8th & Arch in solidarity with the national . As protesters marched away from the facility, made two arrests & hit protesters & journalists with metal batons

Roundhouse Prayer Meeting Reportback

  • August 30, 2018 4:17 pm

from Friendly Fire Collective

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The Friendly Fire Collective, a community of radical and abolitionist Christians in Philadelphia, meet weekly for prayer and fellowship. This past Tuesday (8/28) we had our meeting right in front of the Philadelphia Police Department Headquarters, also known as the Roundhouse.

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With our small group of 10 or so people, we prayed for those striking in prison, the abolition of the police and all prisons, as well as our own incarcerated friends and family. As we wrapped up our time of prayer, we held up our banners (“All cops are apostates” and “It is our duty to fight for our freedom”) and got on the megaphone. While on the megaphone, we stared right at the police and those employed at the Roundhouse through the windows. We read out the demands of the prison strike and then two comrades led us through a prayer of rebuke and exorcism, and plead with the officers to repent of their sins – namely being fascist tools – and quit their jobs. We wrapped up by chanting “Quit your jobs!” and “God hates cops!”

As things concluded, some bike cops came around asking questions and then followed some comrades on their way back home. As much as we do not enjoy the presence of cops, it felt good to know that this small prayer meeting was able to annoy these officers. It was also awesome that other abolitionists who aren’t affiliated with Friendly Fire or don’t identify as Christian came out in solidarity. We very much appreciated the support.

The Roundhouse has been a place of trauma for many of those present at this last prayer meeting and, of course, it is a place of trauma for many, every day. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to call down God’s judgment on this building and the Philadelphia Police Department, as well as reclaim this space for healing, prayer, and camaraderie.

All favor, honor, and blessings to those currently striking in prison!
May God’s most severe judgment rain down on all cops!
The kin-dom of God is near!