Thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators took to the streets of Minneapolis on Sunday, waving Palestinian colors and at least one Hamas flag as part of a leftist coalition's "Stand with Palestine" rally. The demonstrators blockaded the intersection of Hennepin and Lyndale avenues and Vineland Place, forcing drivers to wait through a so-called "die-in" protest of Israel's war on Hamas terrorists.
An elderly man in a white Ford Fusion attempted to bypass the blockade. His efforts did not go unpunished. The mob swarmed and viciously attacked him. Despite his encirclement, footage of the incident appears to shows the driver exercising restraint and slowly edging forward until free from the swarm.
The driver's ability to bypass the initial leftist blockade further incensed demonstrators, who chased the driver down and once again attacked his vehicle.
A Minneapolis Police Department spokesman told Newsweek that "various witnesses reported a vehicle driving through the crowd, and one caller reported the sound of a gunshot. ... At this time, there have been no reports of injuries related to the demonstration, and no victims have come forward."
The MPD spokesman was unable to confirm whether the road that appears to have been illegally blockaded by the leftists was closed at the time of the incident. However, footage of the rally does not appear to show any indication of barriers or signage raised by authorities suggestive of an official closure.
Organizer Meredith Aby told MPR News the blockade was an effort to "keep people from driving through this area, because we didn't want people to get hurt by a car ... because there were thousands of people who were in who were overflowing from the park. And so we were trying to protect the, you know, the space around the protest."
In an aerial video of the incident, the driver can be seen flanked by protesters, including one with a terrorist flag, and stuck behind a truck and an SUV that were parked in wedge formation to block the way forward.
Demonstrators can be seen attacking the vehicle and pounding on the glass.
At the 5-second mark, the driver momentarily exits his car with a small knife in hand and accosts the protester who last kicked his car door.
The mob seizes on the driver's exposure and moves in. The old man narrowly makes it back into his car and begins edging forward while radicals attempt to tear him out of the Ford Fusion.
At the 28-second mark, a radical can be seen grabbing the driver through the window and attempting to yank him out by the neck. The old man manages to fight off the attempt and backs up, but again finds no opening.
Finally, the SUV blocking his way forward backs up just enough to create a way out, which the driver of the Fusion gladly takes.
The ordeal is far from over, however. The driver makes his way down the avenue only to find himself at another blockade. While he idles at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Groveland Terrace, crazed protesters stampede toward him.
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At the second intersection, anti-Israeli demonstrators, including a bandana-clad male with a Hamas flag, resume their attacks on the white car.
One demonstrator says, "He not going nowhere now!"
The driver figured otherwise, pulling away, then driving clear of the rally and to safety.
Alpha News reported that dispatch audio captured at least two MPD supervisors instructing officers to avoid the area and stay "out of sight" even after there were reports of the vehicle driving through the protest and possible shots fired.
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As of Sunday night, no arrests had reportedly been made. The police are reportedly investigating the incident.
According to Newsweek, the rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, the state chapter of the American Muslims for Palestine, and the Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota. On the day of the protest, the MAWC retweeted a post that states, "Israel does not have the right to defend itself against those whom it occupies."
An agenda document on the group's site indicates that in addition to opposing Israel, the organizers support unchecked abortion; voting rights for illegal aliens; prohibitions against pipeline construction; ending cash bail; community control of police; and more taxes.
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