Antifa Members Charged by Prosecutors in Assault on California Trump Supporters

Several Antifa activists face charges in San Diego, California for violent assaults on supporters of former President Donald Trump in January of this year.

The group was arrested last Thursday in a raid conducted by police officers and sheriff’s deputies across southern California, The San Diego Union Tribune reports.

All those arrested acknowledge their affiliation with Antifa and have admitted to organizing in both San Diego and Los Angeles to disrupt a planned Trump rally. The arrestees used social media to call for a counter protest to the Trump event, inciting people to “direct action,” defined by Antifa as acts of violence.

The district attorney’s office states most of the violence at the rally was carried out by the left-wing counter-protesters, not the Trump supporters.

The Antifa attackers used sticks and pepper spray against the rally attendees. The attackers threw chairs, kicked, spit on, and punched people in the crowd. An Antifa attacker pepper-sprayed a dog.

“Anti-fascists typically don’t shy away from clashes, instead using what they call ‘direct action’ to confront the systems, groups and individuals they view as their political enemies,” writes Alex Riggins for The San Diego Union Tribune.

Six of the eight people arrested will be charged with conspiracy to commit a riot, illegal use of tear gas, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, and vandalism, the D.A.’s office announced in a press release.

Evidence proved the Antifa members’ intent to engage in “acts of violence such as assault, battery, assault with deadly weapons, arson, and vandalism,” the press release states.

The attack occurred on the seaside boardwalk in Pacific Beach, a small, oceanfront community. Antifa members arrived at the beach dressed in black, with their faces covered. The attackers yelled obscenities at Patriot March attendees and chased them down the boardwalk, throwing full cans of beer, glass bottles, sticks, and chairs at them. Even children were chased, pepper-sprayed, and beaten by the Antifa attackers.

When officers moved in to stop the violence, the Antifa rioters attacked them too. Police were hit with eggs, rocks, bottles, and pepper spray.

Attorney Luis Robles says the use of violence by left-wing radicals is a real and frightening trend across the nation. Having worked on protest cases and First Amendment issues, Robles says both sides of the political divide have First Amendment rights that they should be allowed to exercise without being subjected to violence and criminal harassment.

“Ten years ago, this would not have happened,” Robles said. “The police would have inserted themselves between the two groups, allowing them to yell but not to become violent.”

The current policy of many police departments confronted by violent protesters is to let them do what they want, even to the extent of hurting other people, and merely try to contain the fighting, Robles says.

“I am pleased that the prosecutor is moving forward, but I wish this had never happened,” Robles said. “In many confrontations, usually involving Antifa, police have retreated to avoid the political fallout. It doesn’t matter what they do: they are going to be charged with taking sides, and it will cost them. Instead, they just let them duke it out and clean up the mess afterwards.”

Retired SWAT Officer Steve Rodriguez says he noticed in some of the videos of the Pacific Beach attack the arrival of police stemmed the tide of the assault. Rodriguez says this shows many such attacks in recent years could have been prevented if police were allowed to keep the peace during these types of riots.

“While I’m pleased the district attorney is seeking to prosecute anyone involved in organized, premeditated criminal acts, it’s a pity it’s taken so long,” Rodriguez said.