Kansas City police ordered the disarmament of armed antifa groups who marched in Washington Square Park this past Saturday.
Armed with semi-automatic rifles and ammunition, activists from the Kansas City Revolution Collective, Serve the People, and Progressive Youth Organization rallied within the park to the anti-Sharia group, ACT For America.
Dressed in black clothing and red balaclavas, the group carried red flags bearing the communist symbol.
The Kansas City Revolutionary Collective calls itself a “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist” collective that has posted calls for “self-preservation” against “far-right militias” whom they claim are supported by President Donald Trump.
In a post on their WordPress blog, as highlighted by Far Left Watch, the organization decried the “pacifist nature and indifference that characterizes much of the resistance to Trumpite fascism,” and states that “a more militant resistance is emerging, one that we wholeheartedly support and seek to enrich.” The group calls for “every communist” to “take self-defense seriously.”
KC police disarm antifa groups at Washington Square rally | The Kansas City Star https://t.co/mYOAL6FlAK
— Fascism & Far Right (@FFRBookSeries) September 10, 2017
Antifa members forced to surrender ammunition at Kansas City protest @NRA https://t.co/NLDq1RI9ld pic.twitter.com/2IqiUQtYYs
— Bill Benson (@LebanonLinkNews) September 10, 2017
According to the Kansas City Star, police ordered their disarmament and removal of ammunition from their weapons at the Saturday morning rally. The armed individuals complied, but several among them claimed that the disarmament violated their rights under the state’s open carry statutes. Members of the group reportedly said they planned to fight the order, but did not take any action at the park.
“We don’t see any merit to fight it now,” said one of the masked antifa members who reportedly removed ammunition from his rifle at the orders of the police. Several members who had their faces covered told the publication that they were afraid of their identities being revealed for fear of harassment.
Police told local news that ordinance allows people to possess weapons but ammunition can’t be with the weapon, adding that ordinance prohibits open carry anywhere in the city unless the individual has a concealed-carry permit.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
