Two groups clashed in New Haven on Saturday. One group had come to hear a speaker known for promoting fascism. The other organized a counter protest. The clash resulted in several protester arrests.
A handful of people converged on the New Haven Green. They wore "Make America Great Again" hats and waved the American flag. They said they were there to support free speech and listen to a man named Augustus Sol Invictus.
Invictus is a self-described pagan Libertarian who ran unsuccessfully for a Florida U.S. Senate seat in 2016. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called him "far right." He’s currently on a cross-country tour.
Although he was supposed to appear in New Haven Saturday, he didn’t show up. But supporters and protesters did. And the protesters wanted to disrupt Invictus’s speech.
Approximately 100 counter-protesters marched towards a dozen Invictus supporters. Lots of protesters -- on both sides -- wore masks. The scene quickly dissolved. Silly string, paint-filled balloons, and smoke bombs were thrown by those protesting Invictus. A major road was shut down.
Tony, 60, is a counter-protestor and lived in New Haven all his life.
"Most of the time we don’t talk to each other about this," he said. He'd hoped to talk to the Invictus supporters, to understand them and explain his own views.
“Nothing ever gets done," he said. "I think that’s what happened here. Nothing got done.”
Four anti-Invictus protesters were arrested for interfering with police, disorderly conduct, and illegal possession of fireworks.
