Philly Right Wing Rally Drowned Out By Counter-Protest

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The right wing "We the People" rally held at the Independence Mall Saturday, Nov. 17, was tense but mostly peaceful, save for one scuffle caught on camera. The rally began at 11 a.m. and the counter-protest, consisting of left wingers, was in full swing by noon.

A couple dozen people attended the "We the People" rally in the 500 block of Market Street, in the lawn of the visitor center, which police surrounded with metal barricades. The rally-goers spoke about the Constitution, waving American, "Don't Tread on Me," and Trump flags.

One attendee was ready for a violent outburst, clad in protective equipment.

On the other side of the street, separated by barricades and scores of police officers, were the counter-protesters who came to drown out the right wing rally.

And drown them out they did. Numbering several hundred, the counter-protesters' chants and jeers far outweighed the volume of the right wing ralliers.

At one point, a right wing rallier entered the left wingers' side. He was chased out by anti-fascist protesters, who became violent, causing a small scuffle. Police quickly swarmed in to prevent further violence.

After the brief scuffle, counter-protesters moved to the street, chanting at police "Who do you protect? Who do you serve?" Police confirmed one arrest of a person who was blocking traffic, and made three more arrests, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The video below has explicit language that may be offensive to some:

As the rally ended police escorted some of the right wing ralliers through the streets of Philadelphia to a police parking lot, where they awaited rideshares. Counter-protesters followed, many yelling at the right wingers.

Regardless of the polarization in the air, two men on opposite sides of the political spectrum found themselves viewing each other with a bit of respect.

What began as a screaming match between a left wing counter-protester, Larry, and a right-wing rallier, James, turned into an understanding between opposing views. A police officer inserted himself between the two to prevent physical violence. Within minutes, they went from calling each other terrorists to shaking hands after having found common ground on their opposition to violence.

(Editor's note: this article was updated with a new estimate of attendees.)

Photos and videos by Geoff Dempsey/Patch Staff