Earlier in the week, a rally by White Supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia erupted into a violent confrontation that led to the death of a young woman, Heather Heyer, who was intentionally rundown by a vehicle driven by a protester. The rally had been organized by White Supremacists, who were peacefully protesting the removal of Confederate related monuments and statues. Their efforts were met with violence from counter-protesters, including anti-fascist activists.
With the United States having to deal with racial issues on a scale not seen since the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, citizens on both sides of the political spectrum are taking their views to the streets all over America.
In Boston, Massachusetts, a “Free Speech” rally was organized to take place at the historical Boston Commons. When a small group of protesters arrived, they were met by a group of angry anti-protesters, numbering somewhere in the vicinity of 15,000 people or more. With only 200 police officers assigned to watch over the event, tensions were high.
Fortunately, there was very little violence and property damage. As each of the Free Speech activists attempted to share their point of view, they were literally shouted down by the mob of anti-protesters. Simply put, the protesters could not be heard.
One Rinaldo Del Gallo was slated to be one of the free speech speakers. He was blocked in his attempt to join other speakers on stage. While he claimed to not know any of the other speakers who were already on stage, he shared this point of view with the press.
“I think a lot of people who are respectable progressives are being labeled antifa. I think there are a lot of people who are respectable conservatives who are being labeled as white supremacists.” He added “basically, I think you should be able to speak unless you are presenting clear and present danger and I don’t think these guys are inciting violence.”
