A free speech rally in San Francisco ended before it began after organizer Philip Anderson was punched in the face and called a racial slur by counter-protesters.
Counter-protesters convened on the UN Plaza in San Francisco to oppose a small activist group organized by Anderson, Team Save America, according to the New York Post.
The event was billed as a free speech rally in protest of what Team Save America deemed Twitter’s censorship of conservatives, according to ABC 7.
However, the event was cancelled before it even began after an unidentified protester punched Anderson in the mouth, knocking two teeth out, according to NBC Bay Area.
Masked violent far-left militants attack conservatives at a small San Francisco gathering yesterday against Big Tech. Philip Anderson (@TeamSaveAmerica) had his teeth knocked out in an unprovoked punch to the mouth. pic.twitter.com/8lX6bLepFd
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 18, 2020
In the video, a counter-protester can be heard telling Anderson to “back up” followed by a racial slur. Anderson and another man then jump over a barricade as protesters throw objects at them.
“Take a good look, you knocked a black man’s teeth out,” Anderson said before announcing the rally was over, according to ABC 7. (RELATED: Hundreds Of Trump Supporters Gather In DC For #WalkAway Rally)
“Too bad it got canceled,” Anderson told the crowd, per ABC 7. “That’s what happens when you lose free speech, this is what our country has turned into.”
Philip Anderson says his “free speech rally” is canceled, he claims he was attacked before the event. Speakers were shouted down by a large group of counter-protesters. https://t.co/O49E8GRH2x pic.twitter.com/hcuQgZ2e02
— Cornell Barnard (@CornellBarnard) October 17, 2020
Despite the violence, one counter-protester said while she believes in free speech, she doesn’t support fascists.
“It’s tough,” Elana Thurson-Milgrom from San Francisco said, per the same report. “I believe in free speech but I’m also anti-fascism.”