Tea Partiers tussled with counter protesters during at least two of the nationwide anti-immigration Tea Party rallies on Saturday.
In Ft. Lauderdale, several Tea Partiers brawled in the street with counter protesters from the Florida Chapter of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).
The video, which was shot by Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), shows two Tea Partiers with their own video cameras making their way through the area designated by police for counter protesters from ANSWER. As the Tea Partiers reach the end of the ANSWER group, one of the Tea Partiers can be seen having an argument with one of the ANSWER counter-protesters when that counter-protester pummels him with his sign.
The brawl quickly spilled into the road, with some joining in and some trying to break up the fight. By the end of the incident, both Tea Partiers were on the ground, being battered by counter-protesters. 62 year-old Dave Caulkett of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement says he was kicked in the face just before being let up from the ground.
Police did not intervene on the video, but sirens can be heard in the background. It is unclear why no police were present to keep the peace between the two opposing groups.
Video of the incident was posted by ALIPAC, an immigration control organization. It includes captions depicting the Tea Party perspective of the incident:
Friday, the day before the Tea Party rally, ANSWER sent out a provocative email, which is now being cited and criticized extensively in conservative blogs. The email included the following statement:
Racism is like anything else in this world: in order to make it fall, you must smash it! That is why we are calling on all people to come out tomorrow, to organize a militant confrontation with the so-called 'tea baggers.' Beating back these forces will require us to organize together, take the streets, fight the racists wherever they show their faces and drive them out of every community.
Also on Saturday, at the corresponding anti-immigration Tea Party rally in Phoenix, a Tea Partier got into a scuffle when a Neo-Nazi tried to unfurl a banner with Adolf Hitler painted on it. The incident was also caught on video:
UPDATE (Wed, Nov 18): HuffPost received a response from ANSWER last night. ANSWER alleges that the video tape is incomplete and that one of the Tea Partiers shown in the video came to the police-designated ANSWER area and attacked an ANSWER protester a few minutes before the tape begins. ANSWER also alleges that one of the Tea Partiers was swinging his tripod "in a threatening manner," which ANSWER alleges is also left out of the video. I spoke with an ANSWER spokesperson who says none of the ANSWER protesters were videotaping, and the only video available of the incident is from the Tea Partiers. HuffPost has been unable to obtain any other video.
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In addition, you can see the tea bagger using the camera as a club, and at one point, he even wound up to hit the person prone on the ground with it, before being stopped by others. As I *WAS* hit by that camera, I can tell you it still hurts seven days later.
Also, less than half of the counter-demonstrators were from ANSWER. Two were members of the Socialist Party and three were not members of any organization.
I can't believe that so many in here are condemning ANSWER for defending themselves against racist right wingers. The tea baggers are some of the most vile anti-progressive people you will ever meet and yet when a group of lefties fights back, then they're " just as a bad as the righties". Give me a break! Look there is always going to be disputes between the 'radicals' and the 'reformers' but do you guys have to be so darn sissified to not see that the tea baggers finally got what they've been wanting. They want persecution and will drag it out of the left in order to feel vindicated. I don't agree with ANSWER's ultra-left ways but I will not take this "middle of the road" BS line that makes the Tea Baggers the "victims". You want to feel morally superior, go be a wishy washy Democrat in office.
As for "making the tea baggers the victims"... Since the ONLY ones inflicting bodily injury were the Answer people, YES, that makes the tea baggers the "victims" in this case.
VICTIM-- "a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action" --dictionary.com
If the tea baggers "got what they wanted", it's that they can NOW say it's the guys on the left behaving like thugs (and they have it on video to validate it)! Not to mention, the level of violence being used against those tea baggers was completely unjustified and bound to cause serious injury if the cops hadn't shown up... No one deserves bodily injury for walking over with a camera! And if you support that kind of thuggish behavior, perhaps you should consider switching ranks... But then maybe they're not violent enough for you either?
A bunch of leftover marxists trying to find meaning.
I hope they face the FULL punishment of the law for their vile actions... It's NOT ok to hurt other people EVER!
Their bad behavior only served to undermine any legitimate point they tried make... Bad behavior is BAD behavior no matter who's side your on. Supporting them (just because you happen to agree with their positions) is like supporting kids in a school yard brawl because they're in your class... Infantile!!!
So far ALL the violence has been on the part of the Union Thugs.
These poor misguided masses are doing the foot work for big pharma, big health insurance, and a slew of corporate lobbyists...at their own expense. It boggles the mind how so many could be duped so easily into protesting against their own self-interests. So very sad.
That last sentence made me laugh out loud like it's the punch line to a joke...
Here is what I said verbatim:
"Hi guys, we brought you some American flags to wave, for free, a gift, since we know you are all patriots and you seem to have forgotten yours"
Not one of them brought an American flag, in fact, I just got off the Tea Party Express II tour and all the counter demonstrators across the country seem to leave their American flags at home in favor of signs bearing images of Che Guevara (a violent communist killer)
I was greeted with the fat bald guy shoving a sign in my face (yes it hurt) I did not react, I simply went to each individual and offered them a flag, in a friendly and polite manner. All declined and simply screamed that I am a racist, one got on his bullhorn and put it to my ear chanting "racists go home".
I imagine that the ANSWER people would have had a bigger turnout had their mothers been able to wake them before noon.
It’s not like you ever see the most reprehensible, bigoted and devise groups covered in flags now is it?
"Have a flag Sir, it covers up the lack of having any logical ideas."