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++

Although the ferocity of the Never Trump protests has diminished-in tandem with the Great Red Hope’s impending demise-that doesn’t mean the regressive left has quietly retired from the public sphere. A slightly more sedate Communist rally was held last Sunday within Union Square to commemorate what I like to call fascist Christmas. As usual, Pamela Hall documented the annual parade of economic and historical illiteracy for The Silent Majority No More.

Read it and weep for the future.

Although once known as a day of euphoric celebration in pre-Christian pagan cultures, May Day commemorations are now reserved almost exclusively for Marxist outpourings of grievance and violent riots by entrenched labor unions and disgruntled trustafarians. While I would prefer the day be dedicated to the over hundred million victims of Communism, that seems like a forlorn hope in today’s political climate.

That said, our good friends Pamela Hall and Joanna Marzullo were able to capture some of the absurdity of the May Day Morlocks-at least, those brave enough to withstand the rain-for us all. You can see some of the photos both here and here, and watch an encounter between NY ICE and its foes here. Shockingly, open borders, thuggish, crypto-Marxist bullies are not overly eager to engage in civil discourse. Who would have thought?!

Tomorrow marks an annual rite of passage for open borders, Marxist demagogues. Their annual trek to Union Square to make it known how much they despise the capitalist system which provided them with their iPhone 6s and high-speed Internet hookups. Well, this year-as in years past-Joanna Marzullo and her compatriots in NY ICE will provide a much-needed counterpoint to the pro-amnesty, anti-free market imbeciles who’ve decided, without any hint of irony, to amass in a park filled with statues honoring American patriots. If you’d like to join them, and are in the New York Area, you’ll find the details below the fold. 

What: NY ICE Counter-demonstration Against Open Borders Mob

When: Sunday, May 1st, 2016 at 12 Noon

Where: 14th Street and Broadway. Meet in the Southeast Triangle, across the street from Citbank. 

My apologies for tackling this over a week after it occurred, but more pressing issues commanded my attention, obviously. That said, there’s much more great coverage of the May Day convocation of Marxist lunatics and open borders brigands from our friends at New York Ice, including more footage from the event uploaded to Vimeo, as well as some stunning photos of the rabble-and the steadfast NY ICE opposition-on Flickr.

You can also scroll through a fantastic photo-essay of the event posted to The Silent Majority No More, one of this site’s  most trusted and valuable allies. We should all be grateful for their tireless work on behalf of rational, non-Marxist New Yorkers and patriotic Americans everywhere.

Update: Full coverage of May Day on The Silent Majority No More.

New York ICE was out in the streets for May Day, confronting the open borders demagogues and Marxist rabble during their annual trek to Union Square. You can see a complete set of photographs from the day’s events  by viewing Nomad New York’s Flickr album. You can also read an account of the counter-demonstration from Joanna Marzullo herself on NY ICE’s website.

The purpose of  last Wednesday’s events, like the marches and rallies staged on Cinco de Mayo, was to pressure elected officials in Washington D.C. into repeating the same disastrous mistakes of the past. In this case, a wholesale amnesty which would cost upwards of six trillion dollars in the coming decades. While most of the people gathered in Union Square were open borders advocates of one sort or another, there was a spirited contingent of counter-protestors from New Yorkers for Immigration Control and Enforcement, a.k.a. NY ICE, whom I’ll get to in due time.

There were several journalists eager to cover the pro-legalization marchers, including a reporter-and I use that term advisedly-from the New York City affiliate of Noticias Mundo, a Spanish-language collaboration between Colombian channel RCN and cheap labor enthusiast Rupert Murdorch’s chief American asset, Newscorp.

And while there were many people agitated over the immigration-and the various proposals floating around Congress that purport to address the subject-as with any reasonably large demonstration spearheaded by the left, mission creep was evident from the beginning. The issue sprawl ranged all the way from global concerns, such as the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership…

…to more localized grievances, such as the cascading effects of the U.S. Postal Service’s insolvency, as well as the recently resolved school bus strike in the City.

The parlous state of our city’s public education system was also addressed-in both English and Spanish.

And of course, plenty of protesters blamed the dreaded process of sequestration-whose impact verges on the apocalyptic according to some analysts-for the plight of specific ethnic groups and economic classes.

The Sequester Game was an attempt to inject some levity into an otherwise earnest day of political sloganeering and ideological indoctrination.

One that drew upon traditional May Day tropes, such as this Maypole inscribed with exhortations to pursue various political projects of concern to the left. Although traditionally viewed as a festival heralding the arrival of spring, it is now an occasion which has been colonized by  those with a Marxist interpretation of history.

The top of the pole was graced by a papier-mâché babushka bearing a placard with a statement just as  ambiguous as her facial expression. 

I saw a few familiar faces in the crowd, including the attractive young rollerblader who played the part of  a money bunny at an Occupy Wall Street rally held in Bryant Park last year. Rather than targeting her ire at Herr Bloomberg-whose last term is mercifully drawing to a close-she took aim at some of the investment banks which have balanced their ledger sheet by feeding at the public trough. One of the most conspicuous offenders in this regard, CEO of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon, is depicted in the effigy seen above. A man who not only benefits from outright wealth transfers from American taxpayers, but also regulatory structures that inhibit competition. Pretty much the antithesis of capitalism, as it’s correctly understand.

One group that continues to loosely align itself with OWS is Anonymous.

If nothing else, the market for Guy Fawkes masks remains robust.

Although I’m not sure wearing them while manning literature tables is their intended usage.

Speaking of literature booths, there were a lot of them in Union Square Park, including those run by Marx’s bête noire, i.e. anarchists.

They had a variety of pamphlets, including one exploring the concept of jury nullification.

Socialism today, socialism tomorrow, socialism…well, you get the picture.

The alternative to what? Prosperity and freedom, perhaps. Unfortunately, socialism and/or corporatism is the default economic setting for much of the world today, with a few notable exceptions.

The apex of socialism, of course, can be found in the proposition that the state exercises final authority over  its subjects’ bodies. Notwithstanding the fact that the lawmakers who crafted Obamacare are already fleeing from its consequences, there are still millions of people willing to go further down the rabbit hole of wholly socialized medicine.

I’m sure among those can be counted the Trotskyists who were gathered in Union Square.

As well as the small coterie of Bolsheviks I found as I made my way through the police barricades erected in anticipation of this event.

The woman wearing the strange, black and green biohazard cap was apparently in charge of this group, although to what purpose its members were being put is beyond my ken.

What I did glean from my encounter with the useful idiots-who weren’t so useful in this case-was that they had a problem being photographed.  I discovered this after having a conversation with the Don Pedro fan seen in the picture above. The idea that anyone would express a natural curiosity in people wandering around Manhattan wearing t-shirts extolling an ideology that has murdered between 50 and 100 million people, and deprived tens of millions more of their liberty, never seemed to cross their minds, such as they are.

Patiently explaining my purpose merely seemed to heighten his anxiety, especially after I gave him my business card and told him the name of this website. This is a brief recapitulation of our exchange:

Communist: American Rattlesnake? I don’t know if I like that name.

Me: Why are you disturbed by the name?

Communist: Because most of the time…that rattlesnake thing is for reactionaries and fascists who wave the American flag!

Me: Like the Latino family standing next to the George Washington statue? 

Communist: That’s different! 

Me: How so? 

Communist: Mmm…

(Followed by a minute of so of silence and a stupefyingly dull facial expression.)

I can’t say that I expected a more welcome reaction from the dozen or so emissaries of Bob Avakian, the founder and head of a bizarre personality cult called the Revolutionary Communist Party.

If the Shepard Fairey-like silkscreened t-shirts bearing Avakian’s youthful visage aren’t enough to set off alarm bells, a brief excursion to the RCP’s website-which gives North Korean propaganda a run for its money in the weirdness department-should be enough to persuade you that these people are certifiably insane.

One of the recurring mantras of the Avakian supplicants is that the “real revolution” is imminent, and that you should get with it immediately.

Or entrale a la verdadera revolucion, if you prefer. In either case, it’s redolent more of a Marshall Applewhite-led Heaven’s Gate initiation than scientific socialism.

Nevertheless, the declamation of  revolutionary Communism must go on, even if mesh, pop-up hampers must take the place of wooden rostra and bullhorns. Evolution, my friends!

In addition to cyberspace, the proteges of Avakian also broadcast their incredibly delusional message through the cutting edge technology of dead trees, which bolsters the thriving industry of print journalism.

Alas, my preliminary investigation of these pioneering revolutionaries was abruptly curtailed when several of them demanded that I cease and desist taking pictures.  I can’t imagine what possible objections Communists could have to some harmless photography, but I took thge dispute in stride and calmly described-once again-the purpose of this website. After one Avakianik insisted that I give him copies of American Rattlesnake’s “newspaper,” I proceeded to explain the concept of a news website and why mass-producing a newspaper on pulp, a la Screw or The Nation, is an unnecessary and costly investment. He was not persuaded.

Therefore, I decided to make better use of my time by studying some of The Master’s doctrine, including what seems to be the handbook for all aspiring Revolutionary Communists, Basics.

A compendium of Avakian’s lectures and writings, Basics can also be used-it turns out-as a handy visual aid. In this case, as a giant mercator projection that focused on the depredations which global capitalism has inflicted upon various parts of the globe. One of the worst seems to be the manifestation of widespread famine in developing nations that have embraced the free market. Apparently, collectivism is the way to go in agriculture. Yes, a proven success.

The fact that there was widespread famine and civil strife in India during post-independence, socialist rule, and that that devastating hunger could be attributed in large measure to misguided agricultural policies, is an historical anomaly, I’m sure.

It’s impossible to attend any protest organized by the left and not be greeted by several dozen-or hundred, depending upon the turnout-t-shirts bearing the image of Ernesto “Che” Guevara Lynch, one of Ireland’s most embarrassing exports this side of Bono. Just multiply the image you see above twenty or so times and you’ll have an idea of what walking around Manhattan on May Day is like.

Less recognizable than Argentina’s Che Guevara, but still admired by Marxists of a certain age and disposition, is Africa’s Che Guevara, i.e. Thomas Sankara, the president of Burkina Faso for much of the 1980s. Another friend of Fidel, Sankara even had his version of the Young Pioneers.

In contrast to much of today’s brain-dead, multi-culti, post-modern left, Sankara was a strident opponent of such quaint cultural-religious practices as forced polygamy and female genital mutilation. However, he was in favor of armed Marxist revolution-having come to power in a coup d’état himself-and collective ownership of the means of production. Hence, his enduring popularity among a small segment of western-educated Marxists. Unlike another African ally of Che, whose successful revolution was effaced by subsequent events.

As obscure as the  former Communist president of Burkina Faso might seem, the Cuban Five-now the Cuban Four-are probably even less well known to those who aren’t aware of the extensive and capable intelligence network run by the Cuban government within the United States.

Although most Americans are oblivious to their existence, these spies serve as a potent rallying cry for the Castro regime, as well as a cause célèbre for the anti-American left. Some of you will remember the same type of literature and agitprop at previous demonstrations documented by this website.

Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by the dedicated group of enthusiastic members of NY ICE I spotted from across the street.

Despite the balmy weather, these people are no sunshine patriots, but stalwart defenders of the Constitutional values upon which this country has thrived. They are in the streets, online, and on the phones pleading the case of ordinary Americans, year after year, regardless of the adverse political climate,  antipathy of the news media, or gamed lobbying structure of Capitol Hill.

Because they are aware of how much our government’s indulgence of illegal immigration has cost us in the past, and how much it will cost future generations of Americans if we don’t address this issue.

With real, substantive solutions, not the regurgitation of false rhetoric and the promise of deterrent measures which will never be implemented if and when the ultimate goal of immigration reform advocates, i.e. amnesty, is achieved.

If we’re going to look at adjusting our nation’s immigration policies, a good place to start would be with the words of our nation’s founding fathers, who remain a much better guidepost to wise decision-making than their dismal successors. If we really want to honor the labor of working Americans, we should start by rejecting plans that

Update: The Silent Majority No More has some great coverage of the May Day absurdity, which I urge you all to check out for yourselves!

One of the perennial problems faced by the left is the inclination to either devolve into myopic, sectarian bands, or to remain so diffuse and broad in its appeal that it doesn’t accomplish much of anything. The latter tendency can be seen in the evolution of movements like Occupy Wall Street, which never quite formulated a cogent agenda, despite rendering aid  to distressed victims of Hurricane Sandy this past year. Although, even this operation didn’t proceed quite as smoothly or as transparently as one would expect from an organization that ostensibly has no defined hierarchical structure. 

The message emblazoned upon the placard seen above-whether  born out of sincerity or a mischievous desire to troll Marxists-was probably the most succinct, coherent statement I encountered in Union Square this week, however ironic it must seem juxtaposed against a public celebration of the international labor movement.

Nevertheless, supporters of OWS were plentiful during Wednesday’s festivities, even as open borders activists attempted to use May Day  to mobilize their supporters on behalf of millions of illegal aliens seeking amnesty.

Aside from some conspicuous flag-waving, and manning a much smaller version of The People’s Library, there didn’t seem to be much activity among the occupiers, especially in comparison to last year, when the movement occupied the preeminent place among the day’s citywide rallies.

To its credit, the illegal alien lobby  recognized the fleeting nature of this particular historical moment. Alas, it might be another two years before their benefactors in Congress attempt to foist an equally unpalatable deal upon a skeptical American public. That’s why they came out in force, albeit much reduced in number-in order to demand-their words, not mine-perpetual immunity from legal and political repercussions related to the laws they’ve violated.

The focus, as always, was on the reunification of families-ones marked by severe genetic deformities, if these portraits are any guide-separated by the purportedly arbitrary, cruel immigration policies pursued by the American government.

Although more focused than the generic leftists in attendance, the open borders enthusiasts did try to link to their opposition to immigration enforcement of any kind to a variety of other topical issues, including critiques of the military industrial complex. While some would opine that militarizing the border would be a far better use of American resources than some of the Defense Department’s current priorities, especially considering the empirical evidence validating this assertion, those gathered in Union Square beg to differ. Interestingly enough, they seem to share the views of the Cato Institute in this regard.

The May 1st Coalition-a group created in the wake of  a uniformly ineffective 2006 boycott of American businesses and public schools by illegal aliens-was the chief organizer of this event, and was responsible for much of the publicity advertising the rally.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this group opposes the Gang of Eight giveaway in its current form because they view it as far too punitive to the poor, beleaguered migrants who simply want legislative immunity conferred upon them for trespassing our laws-both civil and criminal. I suppose a tax amnesty is too heavy a burden to ask them to bear in return for funding their  health care, welfare and unlimited access to legal counsel.

As expected, organized labor-including our good friends from the SEIU-constituted a significant presence. After all, who else is going to replenish the declining ranks of union membership in this country’s private and public sectors?

Having a portion of your paycheck confiscated and subsequently earmarked for the political ambitions of  union executives, is apparently a life-time affair.

In addition to the open borders brigade-and its union auxiliaries-there were a host of Marxists; this being May Day, after all. No one has ever accused the reds of being reluctant to attach themselves to a more popular cause or party. In that vein, the  hoary Trotskyites of the Socialist Workers Party trundled out their pristine reading material-including copies of their flagship publication, The Militant-to generally disinterested passersby.

They did manage to incorporate anti-enforcement buzz phrases into their otherwise predictable signage. It’s often said that politics make strange bedfellows, and immigration politics is perhaps the prime example of this cliche being grounded in truth. Very strange, in this case. Or perhaps not, when you view the proposed immigration law through the prism of a policy that guarantees a steady supply of cheap labor and cheap votes. Ostensibly, socialists oppose the former, but I suppose not when it imperils the latter.

Nelson Mandela was chummy with one of the 20th century’s most ruthless, prolific totalitarian despots? You don’t say!? This sort of accusation might lead people to think he was a Communist! Well, I suppose the Trotskyists are good for something after all.

Not to be outdone, the SWP’s arch-nemesis-the (Maoist) Workers World Party-was also there.  So coercive statists with an affection for genocidal Communists had a plethora of choices that day.

Some of them were more enthusiastic in their appreciation for the Great Helmsman than others. Thankfully, the two sides didn’t come to blows. We all know how ugly these type of situations can get.

The Spartacist League was on message.

For the most part.

Much like Kim Jong-Un himself, admirers of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea couldn’t help but plead for public attention.

Ah yes, those dastardly warmongers. The nerve of them!

I wonder what this appreciator of Juche thinks of Kenneth Bae’s recent arrest and conviction.

One of the more interesting aspects of these sort of events-whose hallmark is the repetition of cliched phrases-is learning more about some often overlooked groups in the world of political activism. The organization referenced above, the National Alliance For Filipino Concerns, is one such group. Founded in San Jose, California, it bills itself as an advocacy organization for the Filipino diaspora, a large segment of which can be found within the United States.

Despite the fact that there are over three and half million people of Filipino descent in this country-and over one and a half million Filipino immigrants-they have figured less than prominently in our nation’s periodic debates over immigration. Several hundred thousand Filipinos are also here illegally, but they too haven’t become a significant debating point in our national discussion of various amnesty proposals such as the DREAM Act. Juan Antonio Vargas-media darling and illegal alien scofflaw-seems to be the exception to the rule.

The maltreatment of domestic workers from The Philippines, especially those living and working in the Arabian Peninsula-but even for those who work in households on this continent-is notorious. The Saudi Arabian diplomatic compound that doubled as a modern-day slave pen is just one of the most startling examples of an epidemic that the Philippine Forum is attempting to highlight with that banner. Notwithstanding my disagreement with the political philosophy espoused by most of the protesters in Union Square-and opposition to their proposed solutions to our broken immigration system-I have to commend some of them for exposing a global moral blight that too few Americans are aware of.

In addition to the individuals concerned about the flagrant abuse and exploitation of Filipino domestic workers, there was a large contingent of avowedly Communist political parties and Marxist organizations which are based in the Philippines itself.

There were young Filipino Marxists.

Older Filipino Marxists-standing next to a representative of the International Migrants Alliance.

The political coalition with which most of these organizations are affiliated. I’ll let you infer it’s ideological proclivities.

For the life of me I couldn’t tell you what political current this woman’s philosophy represents, but chances are she’s Filipino.

And finally, female Filipino Marxists.

As most of you know, the vast majority of illegal immigrants come from Mexico-over sixty percent, according to the Department of Homeland Security. So it was not surprising that many of the participants in the May Day rally were Mexican nationals, including the woman seen above, who’s part of an international alliance of vendors. For those of you who aren’t fluent in Spanish, here’s a link to their English-language website.

There were also friends of Yo Soy 132, a Mexican political movement created in opposition to then PRI presidential candidate-now president-Enrique Pena Nieto and the perceived deficit in honest coverage of his presidential campaign, as well as its bitterly contested aftermath. Like its counterpart in the United States, the establishment press in Mexico is controlled by large media conglomerates, often indifferent to the concerns of ordinary citizens. As we’ve learned recently, what doesn’t get reported is often just as important as what is covered.

There were also devout adherents to the philosophy of third-worldism-such as the International Women’s Alliance-at Union Square. Apparently, some people haven’t gotten the message.

One curiosity was the apparent lack of any  Puerto Rican nationalists, which is a group that usually shows to events like these. I didn’t spot a single machetero or independista, and was despairing of finding any until I saw the man wearing the colorful t-shirt seen in the photo above. Bingo!

In contrast to that lonely devotee of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, there were a multitude of Communists willing to trod across the Flatiron District and Gramercy Park  in order to broadcast their innovative, youthful message of perpetual global enslavement, mass starvation and genocide, and statist terror.

Despite its promising name, most of the individuals I saw bearing these signs seemed to have some tread on the tires.

A few were in the Fidel Castro ballpark.

While one man seemed to be giving Lenin himself a run for his money in the youthful vigor department.

Luckily,  a few non-geriatric Communists did show up, including our favorite ginger-headed Kim Jong-il fanboy.

Even a stopped clock is right once a day.

In the second part of my May Day coverage, expect more Communists-as well as a patriotic counterpoint!

My coverage of this year’s May Day festivities will be up shortly. Until then, enjoy the latest interview of Joanna Marzullo, the founder and president of New York ICE.