On Saturday, Nov. 4th, the organization Refuse Fascism held a demonstration in Boston Common as part of a larger series of national protests. Above the crowd on the Parkman Bandstand, the organizers of the event led chants against the Trump administration. Signs against the “Trump/Pence regime” were draped across the platform. On the central sign, hanging between two pillars, was a handwritten message: “NOV. 4 – IT BEGINS.”

Likely due to the prior rumors that these events would be radical and violent, the demonstration was small and mellow. The gathering of was only a few dozen people; however there was another group to protest against the demonstration itself. This created tension in the crowd, and a significant altercation occurred when a conservative woman began yelling at a masked anti-fascist demonstrator who identified himself as security for the event.

According to the woman, the conflict started when she engaged with the masked-demonstrator who made a statement defending pedophilia. When the demonstrator accused her of disrupting the demonstration, she deflected the accusation with a retort about kneeling during the national anthem. In response to hearing this, the masked demonstrator knelt and gave her the middle finger.

The event garnered several counter-protesters. Three teenagers clad in #MENINIST t-shirts and Trump pins spoke to why they opposed the rally, contending that a protest to remove Trump from office seemed futile and childlike.

Among the people in support of the rally was Milan Kohout, a Czech artist and activist and presidential candidate for the 2018 Czech Republic elections.

In the video below, Kohout expresses the deep political concerns that brought him to the protest.

By and large, the rally was a microcosm of our current political environment. The attendees of various motivations were passionate and vocal; fervidly convinced that their opposition was in the wrong and prepared to fight against them.