A group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Washington D.C. harassed and abused white diners at an open restaurant on Monday night. The diners were accosted by the protesters and slammed for not raising their fists in solidarity. One of the diners particularly was the target who was even asked to identify if she was a Christian. However, the diners didn't confront the protesters in a bid to maintain peace at the restaurant.
The video of the incident has since gone viral. Shortly after this dramatic scene, there were reports of a similar incident reported at another hotel in the city. Incidents of confrontation between BLM protesters and whites have often been reported over the past couple of months, at times even turning violent.
Unnecessary Provocation
The video shows a crowd comprising mainly whites, who are supports of the BLM movement, surrounding a woman. The woman, who was reportedly dining at the restaurant, looked almost cornered by the group which was rebuking her. "White silence is violence!" the crowd screamed. "Put your fist up!" others yelled.
The woman, identified as Lauren Victor, seemed to hold her patience and didn't reply to the provocation. Her only fault was that she didn't raise her fist in solidarity and continued with her dinner as the BLM demonstrators passed by.
Victor, who is an urban planner, was sitting across from another white woman. The other woman had incidentally raised her fist in solidarity. According to Victor, the demonstrators noticed this, which infuriated them. Victor anticipated that she would soon be under attack as the protesters turned toward her but before she could react, they surrounded her and started rebuking her.
Not Frightened
The video also shows some protesters demanding her to take part in their chants. "No Justice, no peace! If we don't get it, shut it down!" they added. Another woman demanded: "Are you a Christian?" However, there were also many at the restaurant who accused the protesters of acting like an 'aggressive mob' and using 'intimidation tactics' to order diners into submission.
Victor later said that although she felt that she was under attack, she wasn't really frightened. 'I wasn't actually frightened. I didn't think they'd do anything to me. I'm very much with them. I've been marching with them for weeks and weeks and weeks.' Ironically, Victor is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has participated in many marches, but didn't want to be 'coerced' into showing support.
Meanwhile, another incident was reported in the city wherein protesters screamed at a couple at a separate restaurant, calling them 'trash' for refusing to raise their fists. The incidents occurred less than 24 hours after police shot unarmed black man Jacob Blake, 29, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, an event that has re-energized many Black Lives Matter protesters.
