Protester Beaten by Vandals: ‘This Harms Movements’

A powerful video posted to YouTube shows a bloodied man in the moments after he had two teeth knocked out by masked vandals late Tuesday in Oakland during a protest against police brutality that ranged from Berkeley to Oakland to Emeryville. (Warning: profane language.)

The video, posted by former Chronicle reporter Justin Berton, shows the aftermath of the unidentified man’s efforts to stop people from lighting a dumpster on fire. At a number of recent protests, some demonstrators have sought to stop others from turning peaceful rallies into stages for window-smashing, graffiti, looting and violence. Sometimes they chant “Peaceful protest,” and in some cases they actually try to step in, which can be dangerous.

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