Union Violence and Mob Mayhem in Michigan
Becket Adams, TheBlaze — TheBlaze reported earlier that union activists had attacked a tent owned by the pro-right-to-work group Americans for Prosperity.Now we have more footage of not only the attack on the tent, but also of union activists physically attacking conservative writer and comedian Steven Crowder:
“They were tearing down the tent,” Crowder explained when TheBlaze asked him about the moments leading up to the violent exchange. “Now that sort of becomes a melee. They were trying to tear down the [AFP] tent and people were trying to pull them off … there were people in there. It’s their property.”
“And as they [the union activists] did that, a few people tripped,” he continued, “this guy tripped over a tent peg and then got up and hit me.”
“I never hit him at all. I know he tripped,” Crowder told TheBlaze in a phone interview. “And I know he was coming into me, so hands were everywhere.”
Crowder was actually at the protest to do some “man-on-the-street” interviews with union supporters.
“I went in there to ask them why they were against right-to-work and it immediately got violent. They immediately started tearing down the tent and they trampled it to the ground with women inside,” he said.
Speaking of which, here’s some footage taken by an AFP worker from inside the tent as it was being ripped apart: [See Full Article for video]
“The union members went inside the tent to cut the ropes and knock down the poles that we’re holding the tent up,” Michael Moroney, Director of Communications at the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, told TheBlaze in an email.
Ironically enough, according to Moroney, AFP was actually hosting pro-right-to-work union workers when the tent was brought down by protesters.
“Am I a bit of a smart aleck? Yeah,” said Crowder, “But does that warrant me being punched in the face and told they’ll ‘kill me with a gun’? I don’t think so.”
Did the police at least try to break up the crowd?
“There was not one cop to be found,” Crowder told TheBlaze. » Read More
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About the Author
Hailing from South Bend, Ind., Becket Adams is one of 12 children. He graduated with a BA in history in 2008 before enrolling in a Master of Science in Business Analysis program two years later (after waiting tables and selling guitars) at The Catholic University of America. He has interned with The National Journalism Center and had the opportunity to serve as chief research assistant to both the Washington Examiner’s David Freddoso and The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore. Becket joined The Blaze after graduating from CUA and The NJC.
UPDATE — Crowder appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” Tuesday night to discuss his ordeal and to formally challenge the union activist who assaulted him [via Mediaite]: