White thugs wielding baseball bats have been filmed shouting homophobic slurs at Black Lives Matter protesters.
The incident, caught on camera in Fishtown, Philadelphia on Monday night, saw a gang of white men wielding weapons in the street while confronting a group of peaceful protesters.
Thugs filmed shouting homophobic slurs at Black Lives Matter activists
The men claim to be there to “protect” the local police station, with the apparent leader shouting at the protesters: “A cop can’t defend themselves, so we’re here, and if anyone wants to throw s**t at a cop or pick on a cop,, ick one of us the f**k out and we’ll go around the corner, one on one.
“Got that? Take that f**king f****t energy and go somewhere else.”
One of the men proceeds to lunge at the Black Lives Matter activists, tearing up their sign.
Meanwhile in #Philly: my friend shot this video of assholes threatening protestors and “defending the cops” … stay safe bbz. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/u1KEtkPipy
— Ellen Degenerate (@DAZZLESTORM) June 2, 2020
Men who appear to be members of the same vigilante group were spotted carrying assault weapons – which are not legal to open carry in Philadelphia – posing for photos with police officers.
A producer for local radio station WHYY, Jon Ehrens tweeted that he was assaulted by the thugs for filming them.
Posting a bloody selfie, he wrote: “I got called out for recording them and they beat the shit out of me and pushed my girlfriend”.
I got called out for recording them and they beat the shit out of me and pushed my girlfriend pic.twitter.com/JMeR4SJ7y9
— Jon Ehrens (@jwehrens) June 2, 2020
He later posted a photo from hospital, adding: “HE’S OK, FOLKS”.
One witness on Reddit wrote: “These people said they wanted to protect the neighborhood but they simply accosted anyone they could.
“To watch the police officers high five and chat with this group of armed and angry people instead of dispersing them for hours was despicable to watch.
“I live right here. I didn’t feel any protection. I felt a threat on my doorstep. Pure anger waiting to be ignited into violence.”
Police also caught on camera yelling slurs
The incident comes days after a Chicago Police officer was also caught on camera shouting homophobic slurs.
That clip captured a police officer walking away from a confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters when a projectile is thrown.
The officer, who does not appear to be injured, yells at the protesters: “B**ch! Wait ’till I turn my back, you f**king f****t!”
Dozens of cities across the US have seen angry protests following the killing of George Floyd, who died after being forcefully restrained by a police officer in Minneapolis last Monday (May 25).
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is facing a charge of third-degree murder over the death, while three more officers remain under investigation. A separate federal probe is also underway.