Two Marine Corps reservists described being viciously attacked in Philadelphia by two alleged Antifa activists in November, Philadelphia Magazine reports, testifying on Dec. 13 that an “antifa mob” mistook the two Marines as members of a far-right group the activists were protesting.
- Reservists Alejandro Godinez and Luis Torres testified that they were in Philadelphia for a Corps event on the evening of Nov. 17 when suspects Thomas Massey and Tom Keenan — described as “linked to antifa on websites and social media” by Philadelphia Magazine — allegedly approached them and asked if they were “proud,” a reference to the “Proud Boys” group that was reportedly in attendance at the nearby alt-right “We The People” rally.
- Godinez apparently mistook the question as a reference to “the few, the proud, the Marines” and responded in the affirmative, after which a group of “approximately ten other people … began attacking them with mace, punches, and kicks” while calling them “Nazis” and “white supremacists,” Philadelphia Magazine reports.
- Godinez testified that he was “bewildered” at the white supremacist slur and yelled “I’m Mexican!,” according to Philadelphia Magazine. Despite this, he was “maced at least six times, hit in the head, and kicked in the ribs” while onlookers reportedly chanted “fuck him up” while others, he alleges, called him “spic” and “wetback.”
- It’s worth noting that just a month before the incident, a Military Times poll found that than 30% of U.S. service members saw white nationalism as a significant threat to national security, outstripping the 27% who said the same thing about Syria, 22% about Afghanistan, and 17% about Iraq.
- You can read the full details of the incident at Philadelphia Magazine.
SEE ALSO: Troops See White Nationalism As Bigger Threat To US Than Afghanistan And Iraq
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