On April 15, about 60 activists – including many from or affiliated with Occupy Boston’s Queer/Trans Direct Action Working Group and Boston Antifa – interrupted the Mass Tea Party Coalition’s Tax Day rally at the Boston Common Gazebo. 3 arrests were made.
The counter-protest specifically focused on what protesters asserted to be anti-gay elements within the Tea Party, in light of several noted anti-gay activists having been invited to speak. Speakers included Scott Lively of Anti-LGBT group Abiding Truth and Brian Camenker of the anti-LGBT group Mass Resistance. Senator and former Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum had also been scheduled to speak that day, but did not end up attending the event.
The rally of about 150 people quickly turned on the counter-protest, starting chants of ‘Get A Job!’ to counter the protesters’ ‘Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay, Tea Party Go Away!’
At one point, a participant in the Tea Party rally physically assaulted a counter-protester. During the heated exchange that followed a police officer shoved the counter-protester out of the way, and appeared to aggressively grab them by the neck. Shortly thereafter, a photo of the incident began making its way through Occupy websites and lists, and onto the radar of the mainstream media.
As of last night, Boston.com reported that Elaine Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department had said “the department will review all of the activity that took place during the course of the day” in order to determine if the officer’s response was necessary.
The inclusion of anti-gay speakers at the Tax Day Rally appears to highlight a growing strain between factions of the Tea Party. Another group, the Greater Boston Tea Party, boycotted Sunday’s rally in protest, saying in a post on its web page:
In keeping with the Greater Boston Tea Party’s tradition of welcoming all that want to preserve our Constitutional freedoms, we will be neither endorsing nor attending the rally on the Boston Common scheduled for Sunday, April 15, 2012. In fact, we encourage tea party activists to avoid the event. Sponsored by an unfamiliar “Mass Tea Party Coalition”, the lack of communication and collaboration with established tea party organizations concerns us that this is an organization bent on damaging the good name of the tea party movement.
The Mass Tea Party Coalition has a radically different view on tea party activism. Their main focus appears to be [gay marriage and abortion], as evidenced by the speakers they have chosen for their rally, including two well known anti-gay activists. This group claims to represent 40 groups but there is little evidence of this being accurate. We know of at least one legitimate Tea Party group that has asked repeatedly to be removed from the “coalition”, but to no avail.
Photos by Paul Weiskel (@PWeiskel08) and Chase Carter.
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Chase Carter)
(Photo: Chase Carter)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
(Photo: Chase Carter)
(Photo: Chase Carter)
(Photo: Paul Weiskel)
I was just hoping I could ask if you could provide something of a narrative. Cause it’s sort of unclear what really happened here. A narrative would be REALLY helpful to the reader.
Ridiculous! It’s a very common sketch at this time that most of the time protesters being attacked by the cop. But as a citizen of a democratic country it is our right to explore our thought and abhor to the government so that it gives a perfect solution for all. We hope this violence will be stopped soon. Good luck for all.
As a member of the Tea Party who was at that rally yesterday I am ashamed that anti-gay speakers were featured. The Tea Party formed to oppose expanding government and support individual liberty not moralize on social issues.
The actions of Occupy Boston were unacceptable. When they arrived on scene they tried pushing their way through the crowd. This was a calculated behavior on their part to ignite a physical confrontation. Only then did the police get involved.
I just wish we could all just debate the issues instead of letting passions rule the day.
BPD Seems Determined To Suppress 1st Amendment Rights of Citizen Journalists http://bit.ly/IsHoyn
Nothing says “I want a white majority” like the Confederate flag with a Gadsen flag viper on it. Add to that the religious right’s fear/hate of gay people and you have a toxic stew.
We have to find ways to overcome the influence of the politics of fear. It cripples the possibility of good solutions to our very real problems.
The entire incident was a phony made-for-TV moment staged by the communists in the Occupy crowd. I was there, too, and the TEA movement members present were remarkably restrained. The police for the most part stood by and did nothing, except when the Occupy guys started to provoke violence. You had all your signs with ridiculous slogans about intolerance and hate, while it was you brainwashed Occu-idiots who were obviously full of hate. Do you guys ever listen to anyone except your commie professors? Do you realize you shouted down Carla Howell, outspoken champion of gay rights? Oh, that’s right, it’s hard to listen while your’re yelling, “Hey hey ho ho Tea Party has got to go.” Well, dummies, we’re standing up for your rights, too, whether you like it or not.
What is most interesting to me, at least from the point of view of irony, is that the police officer being accused of harassment of the liberal side of the protest is African American.
Maybe the one piece of good news here is that we don’t have as much racial division between conservatives and the black community as our President is counting om.
if someone has a confederacy battle flag with the gadsen snake on it, they deserve to get their ass kicked.
good night white pride
Proof that the 99% concept is a fraud. Toss the black and white buttons in the dumpster. Splintering into 20 subsets of 5% or 40 subsets of 2.5%, you see how quickly it’s just 1% protesting some other 1%. Look around you folks. It’s just as important to know who is pushing from the rear as who’s leading from the front.