Dozens of masked white supremacists gathered outside of city hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over Independence Day weekend. However, many of them did not stay too long after being confronted by city residents.
Nearly 200 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front gathered in downtown Philadelphia on July 3. Together, the group chanted "reclaim America" and shouted about the election being "stolen" from them.
Patriot Front is described as "a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it solely to them."
"Patriot Front espouses racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of preserving the 'ethnic and cultural origins' of their European ancestors," the Anti Defamation League writes.
As the demonstration unfolded, a few Philadelphians stepped in to tease and condemn them. At one point, video recordings show a demonstrator physically engaged with a bystander. To avoid the growing crowd of bystanders, a Patriot Front member threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb "to cover their retreat as they fled."
"They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too happy about what they were saying. These males felt threatened, and, at one point, somebody in their crowd threw a type of smoke bomb to cover their retreat, and they literally ran away from the people of Philadelphia," Philadelphia Police Department Officer Michael Crum told WPVI-TV.
Patriot Front has not issued a public statement regarding the Independence Day weekend encounter. Furthermore, Philadelphia Police Department spokeswoman Tanya Little indicated that there were no arrests, injuries or reports of damage.
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