On Saturday, Antifa and other radicals launched another violent attack on conservatives. Pastors were holding what they described as a permitted Christian worship event in a park when black-clad Antifa members tried to storm and tear down a barricade. To their credit, the Seattle police moved in and arrested the radicals. However, what happened next is even more concerning: Mayor Bruce Harrell seemed to blame the Christian group and demanded to know why they were given a permit at all for an event in the area.
Police in Seattle are shown in videotapes taking down several black-clad and masked individuals who tried to overcome the fencing and storm the stage. That is clearly an improvement over the “summer of love” approach previously in Seattle.
One would hope that the mayor would respond with a simple statement defending free speech (including both the church and peaceful counterprotesters) while condemning the attack.
Instead, Mayor Bruce Harrell released the following statement that attacked the Christian group for holding an “extreme right-wing rally” while demanding an investigation into why they were given this permit instead of being moved into a more remote spot.
Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice. Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason – to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
When the humanity of trans people and those who have been historically marginalized is questioned, we triumph by demonstrating our values through our words and peaceful protest – we lose our voice when this is disrupted by violence, chaos, and confusion.
While there are broad First Amendment requirements around permitting events under free speech protections, I am directing the Parks Department to review all of the circumstances of this application to understand whether there were legal location alternatives or other adjustments that could have been pursued. The Police Department will complete an after-action report of this event, including understanding preparation, crowd management tactics, and review of arrests and citations.
We have discussed other Democratic politicians like Nancy Pelosi demanding reviews or revocation of permits going to Christian or conservative groups. The problem is that conservative or religious views are treated as triggering — a common claim in higher education.
I do not know anything about this Christian group, but they were clearly the victims, not the cause, of this violence. The suggestion that the location was too triggering for transgender activists is yet another example of a failure of leadership on the left.
These two groups clearly disagree on transgender policies. Fine. Protest and counterprotest. However, the police showed how to maintain a principled line. They did not take sides. They protected the free speech rights on both sides and confined their role to maintaining the peace.
Democratic politicians and pundits continue to legitimate Antifa and even align themselves with the vehemently anti-free speech group. This includes selling Antifa gifts on popular sites.
As discussed in my new book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I explore the history of Antifa as a movement that began in Germany. Despite the denial of its existence by figures like Rep. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.), I have long written and spoken about the threat of Antifa to free speech on our campuses and in our communities. This includes testimony before Congress on Antifa’s central role in the anti-free speech movement nationally.
As I have previously written, it has long been the “Keyser Söze” of the anti-free speech movement, a loosely aligned group that employs measures to avoid easy detection or association. Yet, FBI Director Chris Wray repeatedly pushed back on the denials of Antifa’s work or violence. In one hearing, Wray stated, “And we have quite a number” — and “Antifa is a real thing. It’s not a fiction.”
We have continued to follow the attacks and arrests of Antifa followers across the country, including attacks on journalists.
Some Democrats have played a dangerous game in supporting or excusing the work of Antifa. Former Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison, now the Minnesota attorney general, once said Antifa would “strike fear in the heart” of Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence, and its website was banned in Germany.
Ellison’s son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer. During a prior hearing, Democratic senators refused to denounce Antifa. Likewise, Joe Biden has dismissed objections to Antifa as just “an idea.”
Democratic leaders are playing a dangerous game in pandering to these extreme elements of their party. In the end, they will fare no better than their enemies as this mob turns on enabling establishment figures.
The question is, will there be meaningful prosecutions in the far left city of Seattle? A slap on the wrist and an atta boy pat on the head will be the expected outcome. The jackboot brownshirts of the Democrats party will be set free and soon be put to work on new projects in the future regardless of where an event held by a Christian group is located. Kamala will soon become a fundraiser to go their bail. When they tell you who they are believe them. A brick striking the head of a Christian grandmother at the event is a welcome part of the plan. They have proven that even the act of murder is allowed if it means flying their multicolored banner on high. In this instance which vision of morality should be respected?
Just to show you how bad Seattle is. The fire dept & medics requires SD PD for their calls. Why you ask. Antifa and others attack them while putting out fires or giving aid.
Yes the city has sunk that low.
.Seattle has firmly cemented its reputation as a location to which a normal family should not move, to which one should not accept a job no matter how desirable, and to which one should not vacation.
One could say the same about most of the rest of the state of Washington, with some isolated exceptions – nearer to the border with Idaho.
It’s too bad — seattle used to be a gorgeous place to live and to visit.
We both agree. A once fine state has been wrecked by dems/libs
#9. The majority of American cities have become little more than obsolete urban penal colony’s, now bereft of any need to house a civilized working class following decades of extremist left policies which all but eradicated the Nation’s industry and manufacturing jobs in the dozens of millions. For most of the residents of these asphalt plantations a career at Wally World, or Uber, is about as good as it gets.
As long as the citizens and their precious illegal aliens who at this point make up a large portion of any of these crime infested remnants of urban decay, continue on with their suicidal voting patterns of electing the criminally corrupt and ideological enemies of the Nation’s founding principles based primarily upon what color hair or skin they have, then most assuredly they will continue to wallow in their pigsty.
These radical Leftists are getting worse and worse everyday. When is ALL this madness going to stop? When are these people going to be held accountable for their actions?
A decent written recitation on The American Political Party of Violence https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-american-political-party-of-violence
What do your expect from those people in that area
Summer’s Officially Here!
How long until they Open-Fire?
Just a matter of time, somethings gotta give.
Treason for Pay 👇
https://digitalswqlljer17.substack.com/p/the-autopen-coup-how-a-machine-signature
Executive Suspension of Habeas Corpus 👇
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S9-C2-1/ALDE_00001087/
11.3 DoD Law of War Manual {no kidding CPT Obvious, it’s a real thing} 👇
media.defense.gov/2023/Jul/31/2003271432/-1/-1/0/DOD-LAW-OF-WAR-MANUAL-JUNE-2015-UPDATED-JULY%202023.PDF
It is probably happening right now…..
We will only notice by [black hats] being missing in action….
It will take a total reset…
Keep pushing..
3 whistle blowers, probably under military protection of the highest order..
tiQ tiQ tiQ tiQ tiQ
NWSWIC
MAGAA1st
11b
Are you drunk?
What do you expect when radicals are elected to public office?
You get Seattle, Portland, LA, Minneapolis, etc, etc. and little law.
But I wonder if the people are truly voting for these people? Is there cheating,
Do not deign to allow fools off the hook by saying “cheating” was involved. They knew exactly what they were voting for. Their ideology will destroy their home districts. They “reap what they sow.”
Use that same concern when it comes to the State of California …….. Newsom “miraculously” overcame recalls twice, but democrat election-fraud has always been suspect. Look at the last election and how ballot-“counting” took an additional 3-4 weeks, until they (once again) came up with enough votes to steal house seats. I have “0” faith in democrat-oversight of ANY election processes.
10offgrid: “I have “0” faith in democrat-oversight of ANY election processes.”
Nor do I. They have openly embraced “by any means necessary” and they have demonstrated many times that they mean it. Expect them to use and exploit any opportunity to cheat.
The election system needs to be hardened and made more secure. Voter ID, paper ballots, citizenship to register, and the rest.
WA state is vote by mail. 20 + years ago we had an election for governor A Republican won with good numbers. They had 2 recounts and he was still winning. Then a 3rd. All of a sudden enough votes for the dems to win. Been that way even since
Funny how they always stop with the recounts when the Democrat wins.
The Left corrupts everything it touches. A mayor should encourage protection for the people of his city to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights without harassment by others and regardless of whether he agrees with the beliefs being expressed, or the faith being practiced. Mayor Harrell’s approach, instead, was to lay that role aside and join the political fight of one side against the people exercising free speech.
That is the same kind of corruption as J-schools becoming anti-objectivity and embracing advocacy journalism, or law schools becoming anti-Constitution. It is always the left carrying out this corruption because with them everything is politicized, including sports and entertainment.
What is the basis for you saying law schools are becoming anti-Constitution?
Professor Turley has written about it in recent years.
Well when it comes to what law professors are actually teaching in required classes (such as first year) or classes that are considered important for the bar exam, I am skeptical that the teaching can be accurately described as anti-Constitution.
What OMfK is saying is that the zeitgeist in law schools (all colleges, for that matter) points to questioning the Constitution, calling it antiquated, AND preferring screative and “re-imagined,” like sanctuary-this-and-thats, unelected agencies rules and regs, and lower court rulings, over sound doctrine; that is, leftist ideology is behind the overturning of settled and organic fundamental laws and declarations of the United State of America.
What I have seen of reports seems to indicate the Christian event was more a political rally than a religious service. I am open to any input showing it was a religious service. That does not give any other group the right to disrupt it as the Antifa a-holes did, but I want to be clear as to the activity on both sides.
Activities on both sides? Speech vs violence and vandalism, to be clear🤣
You know nothing about Seattle. And the far left who run that city
After the video, it doesn’t appear there’s anything quite right there be it christian group or antifa…
Tragedy
* The atheists want segregation. Just put up signs saying no Christians allowed. Right?
The following article is helpful in providing more context and more information on the protesting groups. https://www.newsweek.com/seattle-protest-breaks-out-violence-what-we-know-2076830
I just read it. All 23 people arrested for violent conduct were from the Antifa side. Apparently nobody from the Christian side engaged in violence. That doesn’t surprise me. Antifa is a fascist organization committed to violence, hatred, and bigotry.
Brownshirts redux.
Remember the summer of love as Antifa burned parts of Seattle and two people were murdered
If this is this mayor’s first term, then maybe the people will elect someone else. If this is his second or third term, then this is what they want.
And I guess the Christians want a lawsuit. Do you think it’s a slip and fall ?
they might sue the mayor for his inflammatory and false statements about the group and their right to be there.
They can’t sue him for that. There’s no law against “inflammatory” statements. And I doubt he said anything that was factually false; these people generally don’t. They merely state invalid conclusions and bad opinions, and you can’t sue for those.
Also, there’s no such thing as group libel. So anything he said about the people who attended the rally would be immune even if it was objectively false. But the organization as a single corporate entity could sue for defamation if he was so foolish as to say something objectively false and defamatory about it.
Oberlin’s problem was that Raimondo crossed the line and made an objectively false statement about the Gibsons. And the Gibsons are a small family, fewer than 25 people, so they are capable of being defamed.
I have no idea what Christian denomination was at the park, but the Left’s bias against Christianity has been growing over the past couple decades. It’s not far behind the Left’s savage antisemitism.
If there is any silver lining at the totalitarian actions of the Democrat party, it’s that they have become so egregious that backlash is growing. Perhaps the pendulum will reset to a more moderate position.
The air in Sebattle is toxic.
Wait. Aren’t the Christians the group that burned people to death? Drowned people they accused of being a witch? Tortured people that didn’t submit? The group that was so kind they gave blankets to the Native Americans, infested with Small Pox?
Yep, such a nice group of people.
So, now you are bringing up shit that happened 100 years ago? Grasping much?? I mean seriously, are we talking about the democrats that formed the KKK now too? Or did that slip your mind?
Let’s focus on the present. That’s what we can work on.
Oh, you’re right. Christians now are responsible for separating children from their parents, arresting breastfeeding moms and throwing them in jail, banning books, denying science. Giving moms the choice of leave their U.S. Citizen child in the U.S. as they are deported or take their child to a country they have no connection to. Yep, “Christians” today are so compassionate.
I didn’t mention the “christian” position on the genocide in Gaza. But I suppose that is ok because you are supporting “gods” chosen while killing the unchosen. And there is the “christian” position of no abortion even if it means the mom will die carrying a dead fetus in hr body.
Yep, compassionate “christians”. Who do you want to kill?
Wrong… You are from the group who want kids for your pleasure.
Those Indians were distinctly neither native to this continent nor American.
They were Asiatic nomads who had traversed the Alaskan Land Bridge.
They were small clans without bills of sales, receipts, surveys, deeds, clerk-recorders, courts, and municipal, county, state, or federal government.
They were trespassing here long before America was established in 1789.
How is any of that relevant today?
BTW The infected blanket theory is a huge lie. Pasteur’s germ theory hadn’t even been a theory yet, Let alone medical disease exposure protocols.
infected blanket? never heard of that one. If true, then during COVID we didn’t really need to wear masks, follow 6 feet distance and closure of schools and businesses, but rather just refuse sharing blankets. thanks for the humor
This comment is so insulting to Christians! Do not paint everyone with the same brush in your defense of Antifa. You can rip any group apart by the actions of the some but do not insult over one billion people who live their lives doing good works and trying to rise about our human nature! It seems you cannot with your contemptuously smug remarks. If you know anything about Christianity you’d know that forgiveness and redemption is what sustains Christians as we navigate the pitfalls of our own failings and rise again to strive to do better. Many will — some will not.
En toto, you’re taking about sinners, not exclusively Christians. You are part of this “left bias,” not far behind antisemitism that Karen S. aptly points out.
Stop that crap: “burned and drowned people,” etc. The groups of people who did this are the same sick HUMANS who did other genocides all over the world, including in Africa, with Africans selling Africans for the loot. Stop your fallacious-rapacious virtue signaling, and do better here!!!
Trump DOJ needs to declare Antifa and other violent groups, the foot soliders of the Left Wing Radical Dem Party, Terrorist Organizations and go after their sponsors, foot soldiers, leadership etc. Always seems to be a pile of bricks set aside for these Terrorist for them to use? wonder pays for it. They need to throw them in jail for a long time, as with any other terrorist.
Washington and Oregon a radical hubs for these groups. Seattle and Portland use to be nice places but now they are the pits of society. How can anyone live there.
There is no such category as “terrorist organization”, so there’s nothing to declare them as.
There is such a thing as a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, but the key word is “foreign”. To get such a designation the organization can’t be based in the USA.
Most interesting that the progressive woke voice from the N W windbags is stating clearly that a religious voice or figure is totally discriminatory, hateful, bigoted, threatening, triggering, disparaging, offending and should never, ever be legal nor tolerated. Talking about being oppressive . . . Geeez.