Reporter Injured as Tea Party Rally Turns Violent–with Racially Motivated Attack
Posted on December 14th, 2012 by Fingers Malloy
LANSING, MI – A pro right-to-work rally sponsored by a number of Michigan Tea Party groups turned violent Tuesday, as members of the tea party movement clashed with anti right-to-work activists outside the state capitol building. The rally coincided with the signing by Gov. Rick Snyder of the recently passed Right-to-Work bill that would limit union power in the state of Michigan.
The clash happened shortly after the rally began, as a few hundred right wing activists moved over to a tent sponsored by MoveOn.org, a progressive PAC which is against right-to-work legislation. The tea party group chased the 20 or so progressive activists from the area, and quickly kicked the tent to the ground. Box cutters were used to slash the tent’s ropes, and to cut swatches as souvenirs, which were passed out to the angry mob.
As the tent was being kicked to the ground, several protesters confronted MSNBC contributor Steven Crowder, who was there filming interviews with the protestors. One right wing activist punched Crowder as he attempted to defend the tent from being destroyed. The man accused of the assault, Tony Fauxname, was identified 15 minutes after the attack by reporters from ABC, NBC, CBS, the Washington Post, the New York Times, MSNBC, CNN, CurrentTV, Headline News, Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, HSN, ESPN, Food Network and Al Jazeera.
After the tent was destroyed and Crowder was assaulted, the angry right wing protestors(mostly white males) turned their attention to Lansing hot dog vendor Clint Tarver. Mr. Tarver, an African-American, was hired by MoveOn.org to provide lunch for their progressive activists. As they hurled racial slurs at Tarver, the Tea Party rioters destroyed his catering equipment. It is unclear at this point if any hate crime charges will be brought against the protesters, because Tarver was not physically assaulted.
Crowder later appeared on the highly rated and respected The Ed Show on MSNBC to discuss the ordeal. Here is a transcript of the conversation between Crowder and The Ed Show’s host, Ed Schultz.
ED SCHULTZ: Steven you were surrounded by right wing lunatics. They assaulted you. They destroyed private property. They attacked poor Clint Tarver, an African-American, and destroyed his business. These white, right wing, tea party bigots threw all kinds of racial slurs at Tarver. Ya’ll are lucky to have gotten out of there in one piece aren’t you?
STEVEN CROWDER: It was an ugly situat…
ED SCHULTZ: (Interrupts) As if the attack isn’t bad enough, you have these conservative nutjobs on websites and in their media, actually blaming you for getting attacked. They are saying you provoked it by asking questions, or that even your presence at their rally provoked these troglodytes to violence. What kind of sick, twisted idiot blames the victim of a crime and not the person who actually committed it?
STEVEN CROWDER: I don’t know why…
ED SCHULTZ: (Interrupts) I mean, I thought we still had freedom of speech in this country. It’s not MoveOn’s fault for putting up a tent. You aren’t responsible for someone else committing violence against you because of your words. These people on the right are delusional wackos for blaming you. As far as I’m concerned, if they are rallying around the guy that hit you–if they are turning a blind eye to how members of their own movement treated Mr. Tarver–then they are in essence endorsing the violence and racism that those loony right wing rioters dished out Tuesday.
STEVEN CROWDER: I think…
ED SCHULTZ: (Interrupts) Steven Crowder, MSNBC contributor, thank you for your time.
STEVEN CROWDER: Thanks???
President Obama called Crowder and Tarver Wednesday to offer his support. He later released this statement:
Freedom of speech is a right that Americans hold dear. An American should feel free to speak his or her mind without the threat of violence. We must stand tall against violence and racism. Let me be clear, my administration will hold those responsible for the ugly events that unfolded in Michigan. I will make sure that justice will be done.
And scene.
That’s how I believe the main stream media and lefty websites would have reported the left wing violence and racism that transpired at the right-to-work protests if it had been perpetrated by the Tea Party–and not left wing union activists.
But it wasn’t the Tea Party.
Fox News contributor Steven Crowder was assaulted by a left wing union activist.
It was Americans for Prosperity’s tent. It was destroyed by violent, left wing union activists.
Clint Tarver’s equipment was destroyed by a mob of mostly white, violent, racist, left wing union activists. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they hurled racial slurs at Tarver as he tried to pick up what was left of his catering equipment.
In just one afternoon, the events in Lansing demonstrated what conservatives have known for a long time: If violence and racism is not the whole of the extreme left wing, it is in its heart. It has been seen in the Occupy movement when their protests have turned violent. It can be seen daily on Twitter, as rabid left wing lunatics attack Michelle Malkin with the kind of venom and racism that would make the late Senator Robert “the Exalted Cyclops” Byrd blush even in his KKK prime.
Now as more details of what happen in Lansing come to light, some on the left are attacking Steven Crowder. They are saying he provoked it. He shouldn’t have been there. He was asking for it.
If the left wants to embrace the goon who punched Crowder, I say go for it. That thug is the poster child of the angry, violent, racist mob that destroyed private property and humiliated a black businessman with their racial slurs. Stand with that guy if you want to liberals. Own their violence. Own their racism.
I stand with Steven Crowder.
More importantly, I stand with Clint Tarver. A man who did build his business.
#RememberLansing
*Click here to listen to Clint Tarver discuss the attack on The Dana Show.
