The recent “too little, too late” anti-war rally by A.N.S.W.E.R. was also attended by counter-protesters from Protest Warrior. This is what happened:
Counter-protesters were harassed, threatened, and some assaulted by security personnel of the anti-Iraq Occupation rally (International A.N.S.W.E.R.) before police appeared and relocated the counter-protesters in Washington D.C. today. No arrests were reported, but there was one female counter-protester was repeatedly shoved in the fracas….
Members of the counter-protest group began saying that a woman 5-months pregnant with the counter-protesters was injured in the scuffle. Her husband, David Fields, has made the following statement:
“My wife (who is 5 months pregnant) and I joined about 50 other Protest Warriors on Saturday in D.C. to infiltrate the anti-war rally sponsored by A.N.S.W.E.R., and they were apparently expecting us. As soon as we began making our way into the crowd, we had one person after another attempting to block our progress, telling us that we weren’t allowed to be there, and within minutes, several rally “marshals” in yellow vests began trying to rope us off into a little “pen.” We continuously asked them why they weren’t being tolerant of our free speech rights, but the best responses they could come up with was a “f— you!” We attempted to engage them in a healthy debate, but they wouldn’t have any of it, and it wasn’t long before they began trying to shove many of us out of the rally by force. I expected some resistance, and so I remained calm and just stood my ground, not wanting the face-off to escalate into anything violent. But when a couple of the “marshals” began shoving my pregnant wife around, I came VERY close to physically attacking them in her defense. But I settled for stepping in front of them and letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that she is pregnant, and if they didn’t stop man-handling her, I would defend her with extreme force. In response to that, they would step back (but only for a minute or two), and say that in order for her not to be physically assaulted, I would have to get her out of there. This scene was repeated several times, and each time the same people became a little more rough with my wife, who, to her credit, didn’t back down from their assault and stood her ground, questioning their purported “tolerance” and “peacefulness” with every one of their shoves.
Read it all; it’s entertaining.
Yes, yes. They were there to stir shit. That’s what Protest Warrior does: takes the wind out of the sails of anti-war rallies and shows them up as the hypocrites they are. I must admit that I’m very impressed with the restraint displayed by the counter-protesters when faced with assault and battery the way they were.
Pardon my outburst, but…
WHAT KIND OF FREAKIN’ IDIOT TAKES HIS FIVE MONTH PREGNANT WIFE TO A ANTI-ANTI-WAR PROTEST!?!?
Is this man insane? What? Doesn’t he even SUSPECT that there might be pushing and shoving? This guy ain’t no hero, and his wife is QUEEN IDIOT. I can only take from this that they don’t care whether that baby comes out alright, or comes out at all.
SCHMUCKS.
What level of pregnancy would be deemed “safe” to attend an International ANSWER rally? It’s not as if this guy and his wife were blocking traffic; they were simply exercising constitutional rights.
My last response didn’t post, but this is what I said:
1. anywhere between 2 to 9 months is cause to think of alternative ways of protesting. Perhaps they can start a letter writing campaign at home. Or, they can read a book about war, and become all-the-more-well-informed when they exercise their constitutional rights after the baby pops out.
2. in short, leave street protests to the non-pregnant. while the protestersers are on maternity leave, they can ask friends to step in and march in their place.
Some time ago, I was castigated on another forum for “blaming the victim” when I suggested that the Central Park Jogger did a pretty dumb thing by jogging alone in Central Park at night. The case of the “pushed pregnant woman” isn’t entirely different from that, I’ll admit.
Why didn’t the ANSWER people write letters from home instead of protesting on the Mall? Why didn’t they read books about war first? It sounds facetious, and I know you’re being practical here, but there isn’t a pregnancy clause in the First Amendment.
Did the anti-anti war protesters expect to be assaulted? No. Should they have? Perhaps. It could be that they figured a bunch of people protesting violent acts would have a few more scruples against committing acts of violence themselves. It’s not as if they went to a Jesse Jackson rally and shouted, “Kill all niggers.” They stood there and held signs. That’s it.
On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that they found the irony of being attacked at an anti-war protest so delicious that any concerns for their baby were swept away.
In short, leave anti-war protests to people with the moral courage to accept criticism without forcibly/physically trying to stifle it.
I’m not saying that pregnant women should be BANNED from going, I just think they should exercise caution whilst they’re pregnant. Of course pregnant women are allowed free speech… get me ice cream, get me pickles, etc. A very nice Romanian woman said she would have gone to an anti-war protest (but not an anti-anti-war protest) 5 months pregnant. Not when I’m about to do the diapering, though.
What charges were filed? assuming this really happened, shouldn’t charges have been filed for assault?