Militant members of Antifa, a group of left-wing radicals that ought to be considered a terrorist organization, marched in Bellevue, Washington recently, burning a bunch of American flags and chanting “death to America” as a means of protesting a police appreciation dinner that was hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Taking cues from Iran now, eh? Well, that certainly brings out their inner terrorist, doesn’t it?
The BGEA had originally planned to host a dinner that celebrated the Seattle Police Department, but the department actually rescinded the invitation after being criticized by city council members for attending an event that was associated with an organization they claim holds “anti-LGBTQ” views.
Chief Diaz Rescinds Email About Police Appreciation Dinner https://t.co/v13EauMLSO https://t.co/q0vRd4jQ98
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) April 17, 2021
According to a report from the Post Millennial, the BGEA decided to do an alternative law enforcement appreciation event at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, inviting all of the agencies in the state of Washington to attend.
Multiple groups, including Antifa, organized protests for the event which prompted the Bellevue Police Department to take quick action to prevent criminal lawlessness from happening in their city.
ALERT: We’ve learned of a planned protest in Downtown Park on Tuesday, May 11th at 7:00 pm. Currently, we're unsure how large or if they plan to remain peaceful. There’s a strong possibility the group may leave the park. We will update this info as we learn more.
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) May 9, 2021
BPD sent out an alert to the community on Twitter. “ALERT: We’ve learned of a planned protest in Downtown Park on Tuesday, May 11th at 7:00 pm. Currently, we’re unsure how large or if they plan to remain peaceful. There’s a strong possibility the group may leave the park. We will update this info as we learn more.”
Antifa gathered at teh Downtown Bellevue Park at around 7 pm, just a few blocks away from the Hyatt Regency where the event was being held.
During the time that Antifa met at the park, pro-police organizations began to rally outside the Hyatt to show their support for local law enforcement and their families as they attended the event.
An hour later, around 8 pm, Antifa left the park and started marching in oncoming traffic towards the Hyatt. BPD bike officers and several patrol vehicles trailed closely behind. This helped prevent the group from committing any acts of violence or crime.
“Officers with the Seattle Police Department CRG Task Force were also on the ground assisting the Bellevue Police Department with the protest. Earlier in the evening as SPD arrived in Bellevue, an individual assaulted an SPD bike officer. The suspect was promptly arrested at the scene,” the PM report said.
“As Antifa continued marching through Downtown Bellevue, BPD ordered them to remain on the sidewalks (which they refused) and questioned why they had umbrellas given rain was not in the forecast,” the report continued, adding,”It’s a clear night. There’s no rain. In past events umbrellas have been used to conceal criminal activity like vandalism. Vandalism will not be tolerated in the City of Bellevue. Neither will acts of violence. You have the right to exercise your first amendment rights in a peaceful manner, but again, we will not tolerate acts of violence or property destruction.”
Antifa tried to stir up a situation by making their way to the Hyatt Regency and then trying to confront the pro-police groups who showed up at the event, but officers intervened and prevented a dust up from going down.
Pro-police crowd began to shout “USA.” pic.twitter.com/FKSmeVFfXe
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@KatieDaviscourt) May 12, 2021
Outside the Hyatt Regency, chants of “USA” could be heard from the pro-police crowd. Antifa responded to the group by chanting, “Death to America.” According to witnesses a female employee from the nearby restaurant Earl’s Kitchen, joined with Antifa in shouting “F*** the police” and other insults against the police.
Antifa began to chant “death to America” in response to the pro-police crowd chanting “USA.” pic.twitter.com/ecdGPgRD68
— Katie Daviscourt🇺🇸 (@KatieDaviscourt) May 12, 2021
Lots of law enforcement agencies still showed up to the event, despite all the threats of violence, which should be a strong message to Antifa that the vast majority of this country does not support their terrorist message and actions.
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