Antifa & BLM Attack Pedestrians, Block Streets Outside Western Conservative Conference in Denver
Violent anarchists descended on Denver event to protest the attendance of such speakers as Oregon journalist Andy Ngo and Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican.
Article posted by Scott A. Davis on Law Enforcement Today | Photo credit: Andy Ngo
DENVER, CO – The streets turned violent Friday June 18th, as Antifa, Denver Communists, and Black Lives Matter attempted to shut down traffic and assaulted individuals outside of the Western Conservative Conference, an annual gathering of conservatives held this year at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Denver.
The violence stemmed from an event labeled the “Western BLM- Antifa Summit” hosted by a group called the Denver Communists. The group’s website describes them as:
“Students of and participants in class struggle, the fight against all exploitation and oppression. We seek to advance the interests of the working class and the oppressed, and ultimately to create a society organized around human need rather than profit.
“We intervene in social movements and labor struggles, in order to advance those struggles, learn from them, and win our fellow fighters to revolutionary socialism. We are dedicated to the study and application of revolutionary socialist theory, strategy, tactics, and history.”
The group’s stated purpose is “the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.”
The group partnered with BLM and other left-wing groups in creating a Facebook event called the “Western BLM- Antifa Summit.”
The event, which is still permitted on Facebook, called for “two days of fiercely jubilant opposition to the Western Conservative Summit!”
The group said:
“The Western Conservative Summit, organized by The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, is a semi-annual far-right gathering and blight on Denver—and our community has a proud history of opposing this breeding ground of fascist networking and propaganda that riles up their reactionary base.
“The summit’s very theme of ‘Frontier Freedom’ is a white-supremacist dog-whistle and an insult to the Indigenous peoples of Colorado. Their choice to hold this meeting on Juneteenth is clearly racist. Their choice to feature noted anti-LGBTQ+ bigots during Pride Month is not a coincidence.
“The summit’s move to a non-union venue exploits Denver workers, including the majority-immigrant service staff at the Hyatt Regency, who will be subjected to two days of racism and xenophobia.”
The “Western BLM- Antifa Summit” turned violent when protesters attempted to shut down traffic and began attacking motorists.
The Post Millennial reported that one woman was seen getting out of her car to confront Antifa who threw projectiles at her vehicle and was subsequently threatened with a “mob-style beatdown” if she proceeded.
Antifa block streets in front of the Hyatt Regency and were seen instigating motorists and attacking convention goers.
In a video posted on social media, a man is attacked by a crowd of Antifa members wearing their branded black clothing and masks. In another, a man can be seen being punched while attempting to enter the conference.
Videos also showed BLM, Antifa, and other anarchists standing in front of cars shouting at drivers, and pushing people entering the Hyatt.
The Denver Communists also passed out flyers advertising the protest, telling participants to stop with conference “by all means necessary.”
James Radek, Denver Communists member, said the message of the violent protest was:
“Nobody is coming to save us! Certainly not the Democrats, who are the far right’s partners-in-crime, not their opponents. We cannot rely on the cops, courts and liberal politicians to beat back rising fascism. Voting for one capitalist party to stop the other — lesser-evilism — won’t work. Fighting fascism ultimately requires the independent organization of working class and oppressed people.”
Police did not announce any arrests or citations during the violence, and no injuries were reported.
Ngo, a journalist who routinely unmasked Antifa members and has been assaulted by Antifa members in the past, received a standing ovation after speaking at the Western Conservative Conference while several police officers stood guard at the foot of the stage.
All three Colorado Republicans in Congress, U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert, Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn, held a panel discussion during the event. When asked by the host if Colorado was leaning left, Rep. Buck said:
“It used to be a cuss word for you to say to a Democrat politician, ‘You’re from Denver.’ That was all that people needed to hear. ‘They’re from Boulder.’ ‘They’re a Boulder liberal.’
“That used to be a label that Democrats would run away from. Now they embrace being a Boulder liberal; they embrace being from Denver.”