By Ellen Cans
The rioting is far from over in New York City. Over the weekend, dozens of protesters, including suspected members of the anti-fascist group Antifa, rampaged through Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The ruffians trashed well-known chain stores and sprayed anti-police graffiti, police said.
As reported by the NY Post, the mob targeted the Apple Store on Bedford Avenue late Saturday, with police first being notified about the vandalism by a 911 call at 8:20 p.m. The store’s windows were broken and the letters “FTP”, standing for “F– the police”, were spray-painted on the wall, police said.
The rioters also attacked the Whole Foods store, and painted one building with the message “Murder Bezos”, referring to CEO of Amazon and Whole Foods’ parent company’s, who is one of the world’s richest men. The incidents continued with another call to 911 at 11:48 p.m., reporting more graffiti and broken glass on North 10th Street. “Die Yuppy” was sprayed on a Compass Real Estate shop.
“I feel sentiment for the times, but this stuff is just senseless,” a Compass employee lamented. “They don’t even know what they’re doing. It’s just destruction for destruction’s sake.” “The irony of it is you can clearly tell that everyone on the video is white,” he added. “And it’s like, do you guys even know what you’re doing this for?”
A police source told the Post that, “officers observed a group of approximately 75 people believed to be part of the Antifa group.” Video footage of the rioting posted by liveleak.com displays a half-dozen people wearing hoodies and dressed mostly in black chanting, violently throwing things at the Apple Store windows, someone spraying graffiti, and at least one demonstrator actually inside the store.
The footage captures a much bigger crowd outside Whole Foods, where a man who may have been an employee confronted the protesters. The glass facade of an HSBC Bank location nearby on Bedford Avenue was also seen as it was spray painted. The video shows the mob marching and chanting past people sitting outside several restaurants.
The NYPD is seeking the public’s help in identifying the vandals from Saturday night. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. Police say all calls are confidential. Mayor Bill de Blasio has not yet issued a statement condemning the incidents.
