Some two dozen members of the far-right group Proud Boys and their allies staged a rally Saturday dubbed “We the People.”
But the protesters were severely outnumbered by hundreds of counterprotesters.
Those opposing the “We the People” rally stood across from the Proud Boys, separated by a police barricade, and chanted and plated musical instruments to cover up the sounds of the conservative demonstration, the Daily Beast reported.
At one point, Philadelphia police had to pull the Proud Boys out of a confrontation with with the counterprotesters after they waded into the crowd. One of the rallygoers who had to be pulled out of the fight was David Kuriakose, who is facing riot and assault charges over a fight he was involved with in New York.
Proud Boys, an all-male group created by Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes, describes themselves as “Western Chauvinists.”
Although the rally was not an official Proud Boys event, it was organized on a Facebook group run by the Proud Boys and included some members of another group called the “3%” militia.
Counterprotesters held signs the had the image of Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty, who has been embraced by the Left, mostly in left-leaning memes.
“What better icon to counter the Proud Boys with than everybody’s hero, Gritty?” a protester told the Daily Beast.
The rally concluded Saturday afternoon, and many rally-goers had to leave under police escort.
