Roy Beck is director of the immigration restrictionist group, NumbersUSA. He joined thousands of protestors in Washington DC gathering to support comprehensive immigration reform, and gave commentary on the event as it happened via a live video stream on his organization’s website. But as seen in the video above, the anti-immigration activist got into an altercation with a group of left-wing female mimes, whom he claims threatened him and his bodyguards with “constant efforts at crushing physical intimidation” instigated by “blowing hateful whistles” and waving balloons.
There are two sides to every wacky story. Let’s hear from the mimes. Lena Graber is one of three you see in the video who later pressed charges against Beck’s bodyguard. She told the blog Wonk Room:
They were pretty aggressive and they would sort of elbow us out of the way and say “Don’t touch me” as they were doing so. One of the bodyguards had white makeup all over his elbow and he was all upset that the mimes had gotten makeup on him…but our makeup was on our faces and I wasn’t face-bunting anyone so I felt like that was more incriminating evidence than anything else. We each started with about 15 balloons that were on ribbons and the taller bodyguard had a pocket knife and he would grab the balloons and pop them with the knife. And at one point when I still had a lot of balloons they were tied around my upper arm…and I felt this yank on my arm where they were tied around. And I turned and he was pulling on all of the ribbons…so that was the only time I talked, I said “OW, that hurts. That’s attached to my arm, stop that.” And he didn’t stop and so I screamed as loud as I could.
Anti-Immigrant Leader’s Bodyguard Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Mimes At Immigration Rally /
YouTube: Amnesty March Highlights [Wonkroom via Chris Baker]