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Antifa and radical leftists descended upon a "straight pride" event in Modesto, California, over the weekend in an attempt to shut it down — but cops in riot gear also showed up and reportedly fired pepper-spray bullets and beanbags at the enraged counter-protesters who were forced to retreat from their "unlawful assembly."
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320
Here's a video montage showing in part what went down:
\u201cI would love to see what @benshapiro or @MattWalshBlog would say about the far left at the straight pride parade outside planned parenthood in Modesto. As a conservative, it doesn\u2019t surprise me that the left use violence despite being against violence.\u201d— \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcfc\ud835\udcfc. \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcea\ud835\udced\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf5\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcf7\ud835\udcee\u2122 (@\ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcfc\ud835\udcfc. \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcea\ud835\udced\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf5\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcf7\ud835\udcee\u2122) 1661684424
Interestingly, police estimated the straight pride crowd at “30-ish” people and their opponents at 125 to 150, according to the Modesto Bee.
No surprise as local Antifa got itself into a lather, gleefully tweeting about how to "shut down straight pride!" prior to the event:
\u201c\ud83c\udf08 It's almost time! \ud83d\udce2 Here's more info on how to counter "Straight Pride," the upcoming homophobic, anti-abortion hate rally in Modesto. \ud83e\udd2e Let's get ready to drown them out and shut them down! \u270a\ud83c\udffb\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u270a\ud83c\udfff No tolerance for hate and bigotry - we'll see you in the streets.\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u201d— Antifa Sacramento (@Antifa Sacramento) 1661483596
It was the fourth consecutive year that straight pride demonstrators gathered in front of the Planned Parenthood building on McHenry Avenue, the Bee said — adding that like last year, violence broke out.
In fact, the paper said things got physical nearly two hours before the event, which was scheduled for noon Saturday.
The Bee reported that a scuffle broke out when a Proud Boy tried pushing past police, citing a straight pride supporter named Richard who didn't identify as a Proud Boy. Counter-protesters threw water bottles in retaliation, the Bee said, adding that a blast and fireworks went off.
Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear told the paper a smoke bomb caused a bush to catch fire, leading cops to declare the event an unlawful gathering.
More than 25 officers in tactical gear soon arrived, the Bee said:
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320
Police fired pepper-spray bullets at counter-protesters, reportedly injuring at least two people, the paper said, adding that cops also used beanbag guns, which looked like orange shotguns:
\u201cModesto, California, Earlier today: Pepper Balls deployed against Antifa protesters who are countering a "Straight Pride" rally\u201d— Tony (@Tony) 1661632669
Three people were arrested as of Saturday afternoon for “failure to disperse,” Bear told the Bee, adding that two were aligned with straight pride and one was a counter-protester.
None of the arrestees are local to Stanislaus County, the paper added.
“They came at us with batons, they jabbed us, they hit the crap out of out us,” according to one counter-protester who got nailed by a pepper-spray bullet, declining to give his name to the Bee and continuing to wheeze even after volunteers flushed his eyes with water.
The presence of Modesto police and Stanislaus County sheriff’s personnel grew, the paper said, adding that officers formed a line and pushed counter-protesters back, while the police force's armadillo — a black SWAT-style truck equipped with cameras — pulled up.
\u201cLeftists and Antifa show up at a Straight Pride Event. Harrass anyone who showed up in support of the rally they were completely outnumbered by the counter protestors. Why isn't Instagram and Meta deleting hateful terrorist Antifa members? Modesto Ca\u201d— Duncan Maclachlan (@Duncan Maclachlan) 1661655092
Straight pride supporters moved behind the police line and stood in a Wendy’s parking lot, the Bee reported, adding that one nearby person was loaded into an ambulance.
Naomi Bingham Walker and Odette Zapata arrived from Sacramento in the morning as part of a caravan of supporters of LGBTQ and women’s issues, the paper said, adding that Bingham Walker — a queer black woman — said she wanted to fight against “the increase in white supremacy and hatred in our country.”
Zapata — wearing a bulletproof vest — added to the Bee that "we have two armies to go up against when we stand for our rights: We have to deal with the cops attacking us and we’re about to get a second wave of right-wing extremists. We’re fearful of them attacking us as well.”
The straight pride supporter named Richard confronted police, the paper said, yelling at cops to "remember me" and "see what the repercussions were when they protected Antifa."
Richard also displayed a flyer for the straight pride event, the Bee reported, which called it a celebration of heterosexuality, masculinity, femininity, babies born and unborn, Western civilization, Christianity, and “our wonderful country."
Annual Modesto straight pride event met with backlashyoutu.be