Violence erupts at Black Lives Matter rally in Idaho as counter-protester punches activist in the face and police are forced to pull the two groups apart
- Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered outside Boise City Hall urging council members to defund the police
- They were outnumbered by counter-protesters, and violence soon erupted
- Police were forced to separate the two groups, but no arrests were made
- Boise Mayor Lauren McLean condemned counter-protesters who ‘shouted epithets and white nationalist slogans’ and ‘physically assaulted protesters’
Shocking video shows Black Lives Matter demonstrators physically clashing with counter-protesters at a rally in Boise, Idaho.
Last Tuesday, activists gathered outside City Hall calling on officials to defund the police. However, they were outnumbered by a larger group showing their support for law enforcement – and violence soon erupted.
One video posted to TikTok shows the two groups shouting at each other, before a Black Lives Matter demonstrator attempts to pull a flag out of a female counter-protester’s hand.
The woman – clad in a blue singlet – retaliates by sucker punching a young activist in the face.
She then had to be restrained by a male member in her pro-policing group.
Shocking video shows Black Lives Matter demonstrators physically clashing with counter-protesters at a rally in Boise, Idaho. A woman in a blue singlet was caught on camera sucker punching an activist in the face
One Black Lives Matter demonstrator then calls out: ‘Where are the police when you need them?’
Officers then quickly appeared on the scene and managed to separate the two groups who both began accusing each other of inciting the violence.
During the demonstration, Black Lives Matter protesters asked for a moment of silence to remember George Floyd – the black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis.
However, counter-protesters began chanting ‘USA’, adding to tension.
There were also reports of several other violent episodes during the protest – with claims that one person was left with a concussion.
Boise Police later posted to Twitter that no arrests were made.
Demonstrators from the two groups continued to yell at each other after police separated them
One Black Lives Matter demonstrator, Samantha Hager, claims some of those among the counter-protesters belonged to ‘neo-Nazi groups, nationalist groups, and biker gangs all were planning a big counter protest to scare BLM Boise,’ she said.
‘They brought a massive siren to drown out our speakers, started hitting us with their signs and flagpoles and began chanting ‘F*ck all n***ers,’ she told Media Drum World.
No video of that incident has been seen.
‘Last night our community witnessed — and many of our residents experienced — physical violence and intimidation by counter protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest at City Hall,’ Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said in a statement.
‘I condemn those who showed up in our community under the guise of ‘protection’ and instead intimidated, shouted epithets and white nationalist slogans, and in some cases physically assaulted protesters. There is no room for this in our city.’