Elijah Schaffer, BlazeTV contributor and host of "Slightly Offens*ve," was physically assaulted by an Antifa protester after Schaffer attempted to prevent the protester from taking a camera from one of his producers while covering a demonstration Sunday in Seattle.
Police stood by as the brief altercation took place but did not intervene as they monitored the protests and counterprotests progressing in downtown Seattle.
Schaffer recorded the incident and posted it on Twitter. The video begins with Schaffer walking up to his producer, who is holding a camera as an Antifa protester appears to be trying to take it or at least prevent him from recording.
As Schaffer approaches and asks the protester to back away, it appears the Antifa member swings on Schaffer and the backs away toward the street. Several others then begin cursing and threatening Schaffer, attempting to intimidate him and telling him to leave. Watch below (Content warning: strong language):
“Peaceful” Antifa protestors attempted to steal one of my Producer’s cameras in Seattle I intervened & was then fo… https://t.co/4H5XsaK7c5— ELIJAH (@ELIJAH) 1578264554.0
At another point in the demonstrations, Antifa members began kicking a police vehicle:
Antifa black bloc militants began kicking a Seattle Police vehicle. They took off running when police moved in. https://t.co/k1Ocu82ykb— Andy Ngo (@Andy Ngo) 1578269818.0
According to KIRO-TV, four people were arrested during the downtown protests, and two police cruisers were damaged.
The confrontations began with a legal and permitted protest by an organization called Three Percenters, which was then counterprotested by local Antifa groups. From KOIN-TV:
According to Q13 Fox, the Three Percenters showed up for their legal and permitted gathering at the City Hall building at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Antifa then showed up dressed in all black and attempted to illegally take over space to counter-protest. They were quickly moved across the street as a third, moderate but left-leaning group also came to protest against the Three Percenters.
Although the protests did not escalate to dangerous levels of violence, some of the Antifa protesters appeared to be armed.
TODAY: An Antifa protestor CLEARLY holding a makeshift WEAPON Is seen screaming: “COPS & THE KLAN GO HAND IN HAND… https://t.co/2rtsbV5pUm— ELIJAH (@ELIJAH) 1578267541.0
Unlike left wing protestors in other major liberal cities Protestors in Seattle open carry assault style weapons i… https://t.co/JSUOUHyr1d— ELIJAH (@ELIJAH) 1578254869.0