Members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front marched in Philadelphia Saturday night, leading to scuffles with bystanders and, at one point, a quick retreat into rental box trucks.
Patriot Front is known for these sorts of events: Members mask up, scurry into town, set off some smoke bombs, wave flags bearing fascist symbols and then scurry away.
But theirs plans in Philadelphia were interrupted by heckling and the occasional shove from residents.
Photos from The Philadelphia Inquirer showed the group being confronted by locals and retreating to two rental box trucks, and separately exiting the trucks with their hands up after being stopped, and then briefly detained, by police. (Penske, the rental truck company the white supremacists were seen using, was none too happy about the situation.) The Inquirer reported that the men were searched by police and then released.
Law enforcement told ABC affiliate WPVI that none of the group were from Philadelphia.
“An NBC10 photographer had his cellphone taken from him by members of the group, before recovering it,” Local NBC affiliate WCAU reported.
“They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too happy about some of the things they were saying,” Philadelphia Police Office Michael Crum told WPVI. “Apparently, these males felt threatened, and at one point, somebody in their crowd threw a type of what we believe is a smoke bomb, to cover their retreat, and they literally ran away from the people of Philadelphia.”
Pictures and video from the scene showed the group receiving a warm welcome from the City of Brotherly Love.
Fascists are in Center City. pic.twitter.com/48OmTWeDWY
— Abdul-Aliy (@MxAbdulAliy) July 4, 2021
Add this to an embarrassing day for Nazis. Patriot Fart getting chased out of Philly pic.twitter.com/H2hmsxgsj5
— ACAB???STUDIOS (@acabstudios) July 4, 2021
More video of Patriot Front meeting the Philadelphia welcoming committee. They are mistakenly called Proud a boys here. pic.twitter.com/SLBqnSk30V
— Daryle Lamont Jenkins (@DLamontJenkins) July 4, 2021
Patriots *stay* Fronting.#PatriotFront #July4th #WhiteSupremacists #OffOurStreetspic.twitter.com/U3EmSmpfmc
— ((( MGW, PhD ))) (@mgouldwartofsky) July 5, 2021
.DEVELOPING: The white supremacist group “Patriot Front “ marched through the streets of Philadelphia late last night and early this morning. Philadelphia PD responded. Officers say no one in the group was from Philly. The group is based in Fort Worth, Texas. Updates @6abc pic.twitter.com/vPYbcczFtO
— Gray Hall (@GrayHall6abc) July 4, 2021
Multiple PF members detained and handcuffed at Delaware and Penns Landing. It’s Fourth of July weekend, and the streets are packed. At least 20 bystanders taking videos and laughing. pic.twitter.com/cCx22XMEps
— Jordan Hopkins (@jhop_phl) July 4, 2021
More video of PF being corralled by PPD after they were detained. This seems to be most of the group, rough head count 35-55. Seems like no one was arrested, and RUST reports that SEPTA buses were used to return ralliers to their cars. Will update with blotter reports in the AM. pic.twitter.com/VxJPVJA57H
— Jordan Hopkins (@jhop_phl) July 4, 2021
