The May Day workers who united this day seemed to come mostly from Latin countries. Signs in Spanish. Flags from their countries of birth (no American Flags) but, yes: Marxist flags. Socialist flags. And drums! Always drums mixed with Latin music blasting across Union Square. We weren’t in Kansas anymore. REVOLUTION. REVOLUTION. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

And…the chants, followed by the opening speech to inspire the United Commie Workers Rally.

Next we heard from Imani Henry – Peoples Assembly- workin’ the crowd.

Enough with the speeches. I moved on to the taking of many pictures of the divergent hoards assembled. My task took wing. Pictures of signs. Lots of signs. Including the white protestors who shilled for The Socialist Green Party, the Marxist.com Party, Bob Avakian’s true Marxist Party. They are the behind the scenes facilitators of the revolution to Free Mumia. To Dump Trump. To Stop Killer Cops. The END to White Supremacy — Cause—- BLACK Lives Matter.

FLICKR Slide show.

But today was more than just speeches and pictures. Antifa arrived and the game changed. I heard an agitated leftie tell their lead guy to hurry – pointing towards the center of the square -there was “a problem.”

Seems Brittany Venti vs the Antifas was the next event leading to the arrest of this popular streamer. What I think I witnessed prior to the assault is first  presented in a series of pictures mounted in video format.

We don’t want you here!” Imani Henry (seen in another video) was  leading a ‘wall’ of people already harassing Brittany and forcing her and a friend from a Public Square. “

Something happened between Antifa-guy and Brittney, leading up to a  sign hitting her on the head.  She says Antifa-guy  hit her with the sign. Video that was released shows someone does hit her in the head, and Antifa-guy was bloodied near his left eye in retaliation.

Brittany was not bloodied.  Whatever, they were BOTH arrested.

Brittany talks about what happened. It’s a bit long, but she does give perspective on how she was attacked.  Link to short tweet  video  … from @JessixOW – she shows some of the confrontation. This is a good video that shows how long the harassment went on, how it grew, BTW, “WHERE WERE THE POLICE?”

Vocativ link report on assault and arrest:

 …. an “alt-right”  (I HATE that bogus label) social media provocateur.

Venti and anti-fascist (Antifa) protesters clashed, eventually resulting in Venti’s arrest and a bloodied protester. The moments leading up to her arrest were captured on a Periscope stream. After the arrest, she claimed someone hit her with a stick. It’s not yet known with what crime, if any, Venti has been charged.

When asked “what do you have to say to your fans,” she replied, “free Brittany Venti!”

THEN there were the Libertarian kids. They too were assaulted. The assault in action. (vocativ. com)

Another scuffle broke out between Antifa protesters and Trump-supporting Libertarians about 30 minutes later, the latter group eventually being be led across the street. The faction of Trump backers, about 30 people at its height, chanted “Build the wall!” and “You lost!” to the May Day participants in Union Square.

Assaulted. Pushed. Flour-bombed  Punched. Crunched. Till finally the police got wind there was something serious happening at the SW end of the Square. No one was actually hurt – that I could see – so perhaps a lot of bluster and show for the cameras- still these libertarian free speech protestors kept smiles on their faces even in the thick of the “madding” crowd.

Once on the scene, the police pulled them to the island SE of the square, sharing the area with Pro-Trump Build-the-Wall protestors.

Eventually, all joined in the chorus BUILD THE WALL. Pumped. Fearless.

Which sent one white, Commie flag waving millennial into a seething rage. From the Union Square side, he paced with his Marxist flag, shouting at the patriots.

He was seeing red, but not the kind he wanted.

After the assault video

Gen X Millennials. Self-identified as libertarians. They got spunk.  They are NOT Fascists. They are NOT Nazis. They call out Communism, Socialism, the Soviet Union, et al. They have but one solution: Keep America free of totalitarian despots.

But, Never Forget, why they were there. This was MAY DAY. Commie Day. America, she is BAD. The REVOLUTION is the Only SOLUTION: WORKERS UNITE!

++ Pictures and video property of Pamela Hall++

Downtown Berkeley. The Oakland – San Francisco Bay Bridge and the San Francisco downtown can be seen in the background. PowerBar headquarters are visible in Downtown Berkeley. Looking from the Berkeley Hills westward. California, US

Update: Dan Sanchez wonders: Is it good for liberty? 

Apparently, the revolution will be televised. And tweeted. One of the more interesting comments in response to this article compares the idleness of Berkeley cops to a South American soccer riot that overwhelmed local police officers. Coming nearly 2 months after more destructive riots in the same city-initiated by antifa in order to prevent Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking-it’s not a hyperbolic analogy. Concerns about overly aggressive policing aside, it makes you wonder what the purpose of a police force is if it cannot prevent citizens from being assaulted in the middle of the day.

Those of you who’ve read Todd Gitlin’s fantastic account of ’60s Era political activism are well aware of the New Left’s descent into chaos, infighting, and terrorism during the course of that decade. However, I’m not sure how many of you realize just how much destruction the sectarian left inflicted upon our society during the 1960s and the ensuring decade. That’s why this blog post, which explores another book about this tumultuous chapter in American history, is so fascinating. Although I’m not sure I agree that we are on the same trajectory as the baby boomers, there are some unsettling parallels, including the near universal support among the left for using violence against its perceived opponents, and passive acceptance of the terror visited upon completely uninvolved parties who are allegedly obstructing the militant left’s objectives.

Beyond any legitimate critiques of President Trump-whose administration has yet to take any significant executive action-the fact that the left, ranging from conventional liberal apparatchiks to hardcore Marxists, has become completely unhinged is not a good sign for political comity in the days ahead. While some progressives have taken anti-Trump Democrats to task for their hysteria, and even questioned the utility of identity politics, the vast majority seem obsessed with demonizing their opponents and purging those engaged in heretical thinking. It’s a far cry from large scale urban terrorism, but it would still be wise to keep George Santayana’s admonition in mind over the next 4 years.

Addendum: For some more historical context, here is Ayn Rand on The Return of the Primitive. 

Update: My good friend was also at at the May Day events and has some fantastic video footage, which you can find at The Silent Majority No More. The rest of her coverage can be found at her website as well. More video from the day’s festivities can be found on Youtube.

As promised, today I will present the conclusion to American Rattlesnake’s May Day coverage, including the robust, sustained-and to our country’s enemies, deeply irritating-counter-protest staged by this website’s editor-in-chief in collaboration with New York Ice.

As you can see by the photo above, our critics-in this case, the feral, reflexively violent antifa thugs who met us at Foley Square-were not eager to be photographed. Whether that was out of concern for being identified by NYPD officers the next time they attempt to assault a peaceful assembly of dissident voices, or out of respect for the hundreds of visitors who would be forced to look at their faces in the following days is something I’ll  let you decide.

Fortunately, there were a few “anti-fascists” who I was able to detain for a brief snapshot. This young woman, for example, evokes memories of a young Faye Dunaway, perhaps after being hit with a tire iron. An arresting image, nonetheless.

This zaftig Mexican girl below was particularly aggrieved by my unobtrusive photography that day, although I can’t for the life of me discern why. After bombarding me with some choice expletives for several minutes, she was gently escorted beyond police barricades by some NYPD officers and asked to remove her  jaunty black bandana/face-mask.

At this point, the street theater they were attempting-by ripping signs from the hands of counter-protesters, showering us with abuse, and generally acting like ignoramuses-descended into farce, as the well-fed IA began to weep like a  young child whose favorite plaything has been ripped from her arms.

Even though these photos might lead you to  believe there was a sarin or mustard gas attack upon Foley Square, the truth is that the nose-holding and face-covering is merely part of the theatrical element antifa crybabies brought to the fore during their ridiculous posturing that day. I think you can judge its effectiveness by the look on the face of the Muslim man pictured below.

As entertaining as the black-clad anarchists were, there was also much amusement to be found throughout the rally, including on stage. The African-American gentleman in the background is, ironically enough, named Clarence Thomas. Leader of the radical International Longshore & Warehouse Union-Local 10, he was joined on stage by the afternoon’s emcee, who spent the better part of two hours explaining why her organization had decided to hold two separate rallies which were both ended prematurely.

I AM ASKED WHY WE DECIDED TO HOLD TWO RALLIES, AND MY ANSWER IS…BECAUSE…!

The last declamation was followed in short order by a tangent having absolutely no bearing on the ostensible reason for staging this rally. In other words, even the people who organized this event had absolutely no clue why they were there in the first place. I wish I could say I was surprised by this revelation.

There were also some festive people in Indian, or as the politically correct stewards of speech would say “indigenous,” dress doing a rain dress which was strangely ineffective.

And of course, what illegal alien friendly event would be complete without someone spouting completely inaccurate, misleading statistics that are easily debunked?

Thankfully, on this day the masses of pro-amnesty, anti-American, revanchist reds were confronted by a group of Americans, some of them immigrants themselves, who saw the need to assert their views amidst the cacophony of stridently anti-American voices. Although initially outnumbered, we stood our ground and endured to the end, even outlasting the loud, obnoxious, but morally bankrupt forces that had tried to colonize Foley Square that afternoon.

My favorite part of the day, bar none, was when a group of hostile illegal aliens and socialists attempted to heckle us into submission but were silenced once we withdrew our driver’s licenses and photo identification. When we asked them where their papers were, accompanied by the chorus to the great 1980s Genesis tune, Illegal Alien, we were greeted with shame-faced silence and dumb stares. A small victory, it was nevertheless an  extremely gratifying moment.

Joanna Marzullo, president of New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement, expresses her point of view. You can find video coverage of her part in the counter-demonstration on Youtube.

Even in the Big Apple, there are people who stand with Arizona, as this past May Day demonstrated.

The lesson to be drawn from this event, IMO, is that no matter how outnumbered you might feel when fighting the hordes of radical, open borders crusaders, there are always people willing to stand by your side when you defend basic American values.

My apologies for beginning this entry with such a startlingly vulgar image, but I thought it appropriate to visually demonstrate the level of debate I encountered from open borders anarchists during the May Day rally held at Foley Square. These two characters-who obviously eschew fasting as a form of political protest-are from the very violent, yet strangely ineffectual, organization known as Antifa. They oppose what they describe as “fascism” by replicating the methods and tactics of brownshirts. More on them later.

I will begin our journey into the depths of Marxist inadequacy, however, chronologically. I, Joanna Marzullo, in addition to several members of her organization, New York Ice-as well as the inestimable Marinka Peschmann-began our counter-protest by situating ourselves across from Union Square, an historic gathering place for political demonstrations of all stripes from the time of the Civil War to our own confused political era.

As you might also notice, the message the organizers of this rally intended to send to the general public was incoherent, to say the least. In addition to those hailing the recent legal victory of notorious cop-killer Wesley Cook, as well as the rich political legacy of Fidel Castro’s favorite executioner, there were anti-war critics of President Obama-a consistent theme of this year’s events:

The union representing CUNY teachers:

Clinically obese supporters of one of Mexico’s most resonant fashion icons:

A curiously anachronistic, but nonetheless enthusiastic, group commemorating the service of America’s finest Stalinist mercenaries-probably veterans of the Spanish Civil War, now that I think of it.

And one man who held aloft a sign that I would have immediately classified as racist, had he not assured me he was no longer a member of the Tea Party.

There were also those generic Marxist-Leninists and anarcho-Communists whom we’ve all come to love and admire. Or at the very least, smirk at knowingly as they enter Starbucks to buy their Triple Mocha Latte.

Although by this point in my photo-essay you could be forgiven for assuming that the May Day rally in support of “immigration reform” and “labor” was actually an incoherent grab-bag of left wing fetishes, there were actually some indications-however nebulous-that at least a handful of people were actually aware of the purpose of the May 1st rally. This photograph, for instance, tries to evoke compassion for those poor anchor babies whose families are the victims of deportation raids. What makes the tableaux all the more unsettling is the fact that this young girl is obviously going to contribute greatly to American society through her peace activism, which hopefully will be more focused than that of the people who conceived of this event.

I also met perhaps the two most polite and civil protesters of the day, who also happen to be an inter-ethnic couple:

I don’t know whether that man’s Mexican husband is undocumented, but there is no denying that he has a distinctive fashion sense that Americans, at least those Americans at this particular May Day rally,  are sorely lacking. Interestingly enough, I met another man by the name of Scott Sanchez who is also married to an immigrant. In his case, a Scottish woman, which would explain the royal Scottish flag he was holding when I spoke with him for this website.

He was also extraordinarily civil. Unfortunately, he was the singular exception at the main protest rally held in Foley Square, which I shall explore in greater depth in tomorrow’s post. Keep watching for my thoughts on the Antifa theater of the absurd, as well as some pictures of respectable American citizens who want everyone to be equal under the law.