QAnon believers, trans activists, white nationalists, and Antifa clashed in a bloody riot outside a Korean spa in Los Angeles over the weekend. A viral video about a trans woman sparked the incident, but she doesn’t actually exist.
Dozens were arrested as police primarily focused on attacking trans activists. A far right extremist stabbed two people.
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The Instagram video showed a woman complaining to staff that a transgender woman was using the facilities at Wi Spa. Customers at the family-friendly facilities are frequently undressed while bathing and soaking in the hot water.
Authorities and spa employees say that there wasn’t a trans woman in the building at the time. California public accommodations laws guarantee that transgender people have equal access to facilities.
QAnon believers quickly seized on the video of “evidence” for the conspiracy theory that Democratic politicians and celebrities belong to a pedophilic cannibal cult run by aliens. Adherents spread similar false rumors about a Washington D.C. pizza parlor, claiming the restaurant’s basement was a nexus for pedophiles.
A man was arrested after entering the restaurant, shooting a gun and demanding the release of the children. The restaurant does not have a basement, but has been continually targeted by Trump supporters.
A random transgender woman was falsely “identified” as the nonexistent spa customer. She was harassed online and got multiple death threats.
The QAnon believers were joined by fundamentalist evangelical Christians, the Proud Boys, Trump supporters, and rightwing agitators like Andy Ngo, who is gay. They faced off with anti-fascism demonstrators (like Antifa) and trans activists. Both sides clashed with the police, but officers focused on the counter-protesters and not the far-right groups.
Protestors on both sides lobbed smoke bombs, sprayed irritants, and punched each other as officers used brutal tactics, shooting unarmed activists with beanbags, beating people with batons, ripping down trans flags, and arresting journalists covering the violence.
Stun guns, knives, and mace were left behind as protestors fled the melee.
At a protest near Wilshire Bl & Rampart Bl, 2 groups clashed. Smoke bombs/projectiles were thrown at ofcrs & a dispersal order was issued. Several dozen people were arrested. Numerous items in violation of 55.07 LAMC were found discarded including a stungun, knives, pepper spray pic.twitter.com/exk7vvTfRm
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 17, 2021
Woman was just shot by a rubber bullet as she asked to please put down your guns— pic.twitter.com/YkZUjW007l
— waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
More arrests being made by LAPD— counterprotesters and NLG are in the crowd— some journalists may still be stuck in there too pic.twitter.com/ybZjISAUgy
— waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
.@VPS_Reports was batoned on his hand— his phone went flying—by LAPD, while trying to shoot other protesters being batoned pic.twitter.com/PeeEXeNibh
— waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
LAPD telling the counterprotesters that it was appropriate to use a bean bag round on someone that was spraying silly string pic.twitter.com/hgHnNSO7iz
— waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
More cops pointing their beanbag shotguns at protesters— pushing some of the counterprotesters back as LAPD move forward on the crowd pic.twitter.com/WhPHRM3rTF
— waterspider (@waterspider__) July 17, 2021
The knife wielding far right extremist did not only stab a fellow anti-trans demonstrator. He also stabbed a pro-LGBT+ activist in the leg, hospitalizing them.
Far right extremists brought violence to Wi Spa & THEY were the ones who used lethal force.
🎥: @directedbyrocky pic.twitter.com/QgBPrjf3m9
— Vishal P. Singh (@VPS_Reports) July 6, 2021
