The usual neo-fascist suspects are doing their typical “an-TEE-fa BAD!” thing on social media, but it looks particularly sad when one considers who they are providing cover for!

MANHATTAN, NY Perhaps conservative propagandist James Klüg was trying to recreate the events of last September when the Proud Boys decided against holding a rally in a West Philadelphia park with Sunday’s rally in NYC when he posted a tweet reading, “Antifa has arrived at a conservative gathering chanting ‘What’s that noise? F*ck the Proud Boys!’ There do not appear to be Proud Boys present.”

There were more than a few favorable comments that followed, including one saying that they kept “hearing about Proud Boys. They must be very stealthy. Never seen any?” The problem however is that the “conservative rally” at Foley Square was one calling for the release of those arrested for their roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, and it was organized by a group called Citizens Against Political Prosecution, which was co-founded by Randy Ireland, the president of the Hell’s Gate Bridge Chapter of the Proud Boys. The neo-fascist group was well represented in the crowd as well, which stands to reason as over thirty of them are facing charges of conspiracy in regards to the Capitol attack, with most of its leaders incarcerated.

Meanwhile, local antifascists also came out to counter the event, holding banners that read “We Will Replace You”, “Proud Boys Fuck Off” “Fuck Justice, We Want Revenge” and “Solidarity with Antifa Prisoners,” which was in observance to July 25 being the International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners. The event remained largely peaceful with the few skirmishes that took place happening when the usual vloggers who tend to try and provoke situations with antifa and later post video on their social networks, tried to force themselves into the group that was positioned across from the pro-insurrectionists. At one point a woman employed her stun gun as a threat towards antifa, while another that was chased away left making threats and suggesting that antifa was employed by “the 8200”, a reference to Israeli military intelligence. There were two arrests, one from someone that accused a counter protester for attempting to slash the tires on his truck. The truck was not damaged.

This was the second rally that was held by CAPP, the first one also at Foley Square on June 27. Many of them participated in that rally as well as rallies around the country for those incarcerated. On Sunday, the speakers included some of the insurrectionists that had been arrested, such as Sue Ianni of Super Happy Fun America, a neo-fascist group that often attacks Muslims and the LGBTQ community. Ian Smith, the owner of a Attlis Gym in New Jersey, which was shut down after repeatedly opening illegally during the shutdown, spoke by phone in defense of Scott Fairlamb, another New Jersey gym owner who is currently in jail on charges that he punching a police officer in the face, an incident captured on video. As they introduced the mother of Ashli Babbitt, the insurrectionist who was shot dead in the Capitol by police as she attempted to climb through a broken window and breach the Speaker’s Lobby, the assembled, who in recent weeks have been stepping up the effort to paint her as a martyr, began to chant her name, but was met by counter-protesters chanting “Ashli Babbitt, Rot in Hell!”

There has not been any future CAPP events announced to date. Most of the person arrested stemming from their roles in the Capitol Breach will not see trial until next year.