A group of around 20 militants dressed in black and wearing masks gathered on Capitol grounds to disrupt the second amendment-themed rally hosted by TPUSA’s local Washington chapter. The small, conservative rally was attended by around a couple dozen high school students.
Earlier in the week, Antifa activists in Washington state put out a flyer calling for their supporters to “stand up to hate” against the conservative event.
At first, the Antifa protested the event by dancing and calling the attendees “fascists,” but they later became physical.
One of the Antifa threw a bottle of water at the back of the head of a high school student. Another militant from the Antifa group told the students that she can’t wait to see them “lynched.”
“All of you! Each and every one of you are going first. I’ll have 20 of them lined up,” she shouted.
Olympia Antifa activist Miguel Louis Lofland vandalized the TPUSA table by knocking its merchandise to the ground. He identifies as a journalist with the “Antifa News Network” website. His social media is filled with posts advocating for political violence.
The TPUSA rally was originally organized to take place a week earlier, but was rescheduled to coordinate with law enforcement. However, Washington State Patrol troopers did not intervene on Saturday when they witnessed the harassment, vandalism and assaults, according to those who were there. The Post Millennial contributor Katie Daviscourt, who was at the rally, says the troopers told them to file police reports—but not to expect prosecution.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol told The Post Millennial that state troopers on-scene had decided that “the mutually antagonistic verbal confrontation that preceded the water bottle incident had created a volatile situation where direct intervention by law enforcement might have triggered additional physical conflict.” The spokesperson stated that the “strategy of purposeful de-escalation paid dividends for all, as both groups eventually dissipated with no further physical conflict, injuries, or arrests.”The TPUSA rally was originally organized to take place a week earlier, but was rescheduled to coordinate with law enforcement. However, Washington State Patrol troopers did not intervene on Saturday when they witnessed the harassment, vandalism and assaults, according to those who were there. The Post Millennial contributor Katie Daviscourt, who was at the rally, says the troopers told them to file police reports—but not to expect prosecution.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol told The Post Millennial that state troopers on-scene had decided that “the mutually antagonistic verbal confrontation that preceded the water bottle incident had created a volatile situation where direct intervention by law enforcement might have triggered additional physical conflict.” The spokesperson stated that the “strategy of purposeful de-escalation paid dividends for all, as both groups eventually dissipated with no further physical conflict, injuries, or arrests.”
he Washington State Patrol is investigating the firsthand reports to determine if crimes were committed and who was involved, the spokesperson said, reiterating: “When appropriate, law enforcement action sometimes occur after an incident at a different time and place more conducive to safe operations for all concerned.”