Violence erupted at San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza on Saturday as Trump supporters protesting Twitter for censorship clashed with counter-protesters supporting Black Lives Matter and anti-fascists from Antifa and 161 Crew.
Pro-Trump protesters sporting MAGA hats and waving pro-law enforcement Thin Blue Line flags flocked to downtown San Francisco Saturday in outrage at Twitter which they claim is censoring free speech.
The free speech rally was organized by right-wing group Team Save America after the social media platform blocked circulation of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s emails and locked the Trump campaign account this week.
Several hundreds of counter-protesters also turned up and faced off with the conservatives, some holding up Black Lives Matter signs and photos of Breonna Taylor – the black EMT who was shot six times by Louisville cops and killed in March during the botched raid on her home.
Other counterprotesters came waving flags for extreme left-wing group Antifa while some sported t-shirts claiming membership in the anti-fascist action group 161 Crew.
Violence erupted at San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza on Saturday as Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed. A pro-Trump demonstrator is injured
A San Francisco police officer is seen on the ground after suffering injuries during the clash
Team Save America event organizer Philip Anderson later posted graphic photos on social media of his bloodied mouth missing a tooth and wrote that ‘Antifa attacked me for no reason’
Some people held Black Lives Matter signs and photos of Breonna Taylor – the black EMT who was shot six times by Louisville cops and killed in March during the botched raid on her home
Counter-protesters held up shields that read ‘We keep us safe’ as cops tried to act as barriers between the two sides
Pro-Trump supporters are seen wearing military style vests at the event at the United Nations Plaza
A counterprotester throws an egg into the crowd at the event which turned violent almost immediately when people arrived
A counterprotester who declined to give his name is seen about to hit a participant of the pro-Trump rally
Three San Francisco police officers required medical attention, the department said. One officer is seen on the ground
A counterprotester wore a sign mocking Proud Boys as they were expected to attend the event
An activist’s face is cleansed with water after the police deployed pepper spray as a crowd control tactic
Counterprotesters hold up shields reading ‘We keep us safe’ in a wall facing a wall of police officers
The Team Save America event ended up being called off before it even started as violent clashes broke out between the two sides within minutes of people arriving, leaving several in need of medical assistance.
Police tried to form a barrier to separate the two sides but fights broke out almost immediately.
Footage posted online showed rally organizer Philip Anderson being pushed by another man.
He took the stage around 1 p.m. and was met with plastic water bottles and glass bottles thrown over police barricades at him.
Anderson later posted graphic photos on social media of his bloodied mouth missing a tooth and wrote that ‘Antifa attacked me for no reason’.
Another pro-Trump supporter, sporting a Trump 2020 t-shirt, was seen having a drink poured on him by a counterprotester as he cowered on the ground.
Anderson is hit by a counterprotester in a mask. He later revealed on Twitter he lost a tooth after being ‘attacked’
Rally organizer Philip Anderson took the stage around 1 p.m. and was met with plastic water bottles and glass bottles thrown over police barricades at him
Counter-protesters form a wall of shields to prevent the San Francisco police from dispersing their march down Market Street
A man in a Trump 2020 t-shirt was seen having a drink poured on him by a counterprotester as he cowered on the ground
He was later seen being wheeled off on a stretcher to an ambulance with his leg in a support
The Trump fan was lifted into an ambulance for medical attention at the event
He was later seen being wheeled off on a stretcher to an ambulance with his leg in a support.
Another man was seen being attended to by another activist who was pouring water into his eyes to counter the effects of tear gas deployed by cops into the crowd.
A San Francisco police officer was also seen injured on the ground being tended to by a colleague.
The San Francisco Police Department said three officers suffered non life-threatening injuries caused by pepper spray and caustic chemicals.
One of the officers was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
No arrests have been made.
Some counterprotesters held up a ‘Smash fascism’ sign at the event and are dressed head to toe in black
Police tried to separate the two sides but fights broke out almost immediately. Officers used pepper spray on crowds
A counterprotester holds up a shield while cops in helmets and holding batons form a line behind railings
The event was canceled, but some people on both sides lingered in the area into the afternoon sparking concerns of more violence to come.
The pro-Trump event was scheduled to demonstrate outside the United Nations Plaza before moving to Twitter’s Market Street headquarters.
Conservatives have hit out at Twitter accusing it of censorship after the social media giant locked Donald Trump’s campaign account.
On Wednesday, Twitter first blocked the New York Post’s story that Joe Biden met with Ukrainian businessman Vadym Pozharskyi, an associate of his son Hunter, months before Biden pressured Ukrainian officials to fire a prosecutor who was investigating Pozharskyi’s firm.
Accounts that posted the story were also locked including White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s personal account and the Trump campaign account.
Twitter and Facebook – which also limited the circulation of the story citing a need to fact check the allegations – were accused of censorship over the move.
Trump threatened to remove the US legal protections – known as Section 230 – that exempts social media platforms from liability for the material users post on their networks.
The event was canceled, but some people on both sides lingered in the area into the afternoon sparking concerns of more violence to come
The pro-Trump event was scheduled to demonstrate outside the United Nations Plaza before moving to Twitter’s Market Street headquarters
A counterprotester holds up a sign reading ‘Trump Pence Out Now’ in downtown San Francisco Saturday
San Francisco Police Department said no arrests had been made but three officers needed medical attention
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Wednesday night apologized for the lack of explanation around the social media giant’s decision to block the story but stood by the company’s move to do so.
Dorsey tweeted that his company’s actions had been ‘unacceptable’ and admitted there had been a lack of communication surrounding Twitter’s decision.
‘Our communication around our actions on the NYPost article was not great. And blocking URL sharing via tweet or DM with zero context as to why we’re blocking: unacceptable,’ he said.
He then linked to a statement from the company that said it was restricting the link because ‘personal and private information’ had been shared in the story.
Senate Republicans vowed Thursday to subpoena Dorsey to appear before the Judiciary Committee days before election day over Twitter blocking the story.
Source: Daily Mail AU
