A violent clash last week between Antifa activists and journalists at a “Detransition Awareness Day” rally in Sacramento, California, has distracted from the issue and threatens to silence people whose stories should be heard, an event organizer said.
“It makes parents and detransitioners more afraid to come to these events,” Erin Friday told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t really want that to be the story, and of course, that’s what the story is.”
Last Friday’s Antifa protest against a gathering at the California state Capitol organized by Our Duty, an international nonpartisan, non-religious group that advocates for “detransitioners” — people who have left a transgender identity — turned violent.
While multiple detransitioners told their stories of regret on the steps of the Capitol, protesters associated with the Antifa-affiliated group Pride Was A Riot hit observers with clubs, and at least four journalists were assaulted as they documented the chaos.
One man was wounded above his right eye and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Police arrested and booked 31-year-old Joseph Conradsen on multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon and multiple counts of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.
A “concerned parent” named Judy who attended the event with a friend whose 19-year-old daughter has struggled with gender identity, told Fox News Digital she witnessed the Antifa violence as it took place feet away from where she was positioned behind the police.
“What really bothered me is that after that happened, the guys were yelling at the cops,” she said. According to footage, a bystander sarcastically thanked the police for doing a “great job” while a man emerged from the crowd of Antifa with a bloodied face.
“It’s disappointing that got so much attention, instead of the actual event itself,” she added.