About 150 white supremacists marched past Philadelphia City Hall on Saturday night. They were part of the Patriot Front, which is a well-known white supremacist group that is based in Texas. They wore white face covers while waving shields and flags. Some carried signs reading Reclaim America while marching, and others chanted that the election had been stolen. Police confirmed that none of the marchers were from Philadelphia.Philly Twitter: We saw several masked people on the parkway holding banners that said Reclaim America and America is Not For Sale. There was smoke and some had shields. It felt like we saw something, but not sure what. pic.twitter.com/lY53OVIRCa Eric Gilde, (@EricGilde), July 4, 2021AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe white supremacists' march was stopped by angry onlookers, who expressed their disapproval at white supremacists freely expressing their views in Philadelphia. The protesters were heckled by the onlookers, and there was some fighting with the white supremacists. Witnesses said that the marchers used smoke bombs to cover their tracks and hit and kick counterprotesters. Although police were present, it seems they didn't really get involved in the counterprotesters and white supremacists trade blows.AdvertisementAccording to police, the white supremacists were eventually chased away by the onlookers. They began to engage with Philadelphians, who weren't happy about their comments. The males felt threatened and one person threw a smokebomb to stop them retreating. They fled from Philadelphia's people, Michael Crum, a local police officer, told WPVI, a local ABC affiliate. For safety reasons, police later pulled over the trucks that the white supremacists were travelling in.There is nothing like taking your children to Philadelphia for the Fourth of July and running into literal Nazis. These scumbags are part of the Patriot Front. It could be me, my children or I joining the growing crowd shouting at spineless dickholes and chasing them from City Hall. Pic.twitter.com/bqYviUq1Bd Today (@SunnyDelight888), July 4, 2021AdvertisementAccording to the Anti-Defamation League, the Patriot Front is a white supremacist organization whose members claim that their ancestors conquered America. This was what happened in Philadelphia on Saturday night.Amazing photos taken by Jessica Griffin, my Inquirer colleague, of the march through Philadelphia organized by the far-right extremist group Patriot Front -- right next to Independence Hall on July 4, https://t.co/Opvvcwr1yD Will Bunch. July 4, 2021AdvertisementAdvertisementExperts who monitor extremist movements say it was troubling that a large number of Patriot Front members arrived in Philadelphia on a holiday weekend, even though the march didn't last very long. It shows how the Patriot Front has been active in Pennsylvania, and they believe that it took to the streets to spread their message and recruit new members. They are saying, "Were here." Shira Goodman told the Philadelphia Inquirer that they were nearby. There is always danger. These groups are becoming more empowered in recent years. We also know that many things that were hidden from the internet have now become visible.Advertisement
