Left-wing protesters hit, pushed, and even yanked the hair of journalists attempting to cover a counter-protest in Philadelphia over the weekend.
Antifa activists organized a counter protest on Saturday in Philadelphia’s Clark Park after a Facebook post stated that the right-wing group Proud Boys had planned a demonstration “to demand an end to Antifa terrorism,” according to The Post Millennial. The Proud Boys’ presence at the park was reportedly scarce to non-existent, though dozens of black-clad Antifa affiliates appeared at the park and harassed journalists who came to cover the rallies.
Journalist Lisa Reynolds Barbounis, who was attending the rally as a camerawoman for journalist James Klug, was attacked from behind by one man. Video shows a man grabbing a handful of her hair, yanking her backward, then walking quickly away with his hands up.
BREAKING: black black Antifa assaulted a female content creator @Lisaelizabeth at a protest against the Proud Boys in Philadelphia
She said she was not affiliated with the Proud Boys and was trying to film interviews for a conservative creator named @realJamesKlug at Clark Park pic.twitter.com/KY43mxcS3d
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 19, 2020
In another video, Klug says someone hit him with a metal club as he was walking away from a crowd. Klug can be seen walking and yelling that the assembled protesters who, he says, “refuse to have respectful debate.” He suddenly stops talking at one point and the camera swivels to catch a man walking quickly away.
“Protester shouts at violent protesters holding clubs ‘Stop f***ing touching him’ as a man runs by and hits my legs with a metal club,” Klug captioned the video of the incident in a Twitter post.
Protester shouts at violent protesters holding clubs “Stop f***ing touching him” as a man runs by and hits my legs with a metal club. VC @fromkalen from @scriberrnews pic.twitter.com/3HXPnB9UMg
— James Klüg (@realJamesKlug) September 19, 2020
Klug later said in another clip that he and Barbounis were “assaulted” by protesters.
“ … me getting assaulted, my camerawoman over here getting her hair pulled and getting assaulted, actually probably more than me. I don’t know why they weren’t going after me, cause I was trying to make sure she was okay,” Klug explained.
Barbounis also backed up Klug’s claims. When asked by a man if she was assaulted, she said, “Yes sir. It’s all on camera.”
Here is James Klug explaining the situation in West Philadelphia. Police are now on scene. pic.twitter.com/V7EnmrFh11
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 19, 2020
A number of other clips have surfaced online showing Barbounis and Klug being harassed and chased away from the Antifa counter-protest.
Protestors showed up to voice disapproval with a ‘Proud Boys’ rally that never happened.
They then attacked independent media personalities James Klug and Lisa Reynolds Barbounis. pic.twitter.com/yZraskHOlk
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 19, 2020
In another incident, rioters are seen vandalizing a car, kicking the side, and breaking the back window as a dog sits inside. The rioters that attacked the car mistakenly believed that it belonged to Klug, according to The Blaze reporter Elijah Schaffer.
BREAKING: Antifa mistakingly attacks an Anti-Trump protester calling him a Nazi
Destroys his car while he tried to escape after he tried to assault content creator @realJamesKlug w/ a bar
A dog is in the back, clearly terrified, & barks as black bloc smashes his windows pic.twitter.com/P2eXbS1Ru9
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) September 19, 2020
As The Daily Wire reported:
Violent rioters, identified by journalists as allegedly being far-left Antifa, attacked a car with a dog inside on Saturday in what was just one of a number of violent acts carried out by the fringe activists.
Journalist Andy Ngo, who recently testified in front of the U.S. Senate on Antifa, wrote that the attack happened in Philadelphia: “Antifa black bloc militants smash up a car that has a dog in the back. Far-left rioters gathered today to oppose a right-wing event at Clark Park.”
Journalist Elijah Schaffer, who appeared to be the one who recorded the video, added the following context: “Antifa mistakingly attacks an Anti-Trump protester calling him a Nazi. Destroys his car while he tried to escape after he tried to assault content creator @realJamesKlug w/ a bar. A dog is in the back, clearly terrified, & barks as black bloc smashes his windows.”