Posted on August 7, 2018

Berkeley Police Criticized for Posting Identities of Antifa Protesters: ‘This Is Very Disturbing’

Aaron Colen, The Blaze, August 6, 2018

The Berkeley Police Department in California posted the identities of arrested Antifa protesters on its Twitter feed after a Sunday “alt-right” rally, leading to accusations that the department is siding with far-right activists and targeting the left, according to The Guardian.

After about 20 people were arrested at a “No to Marxism in Berkeley” rally, most of them Antifa counterprotesters, the department publicized their names, photographs and cities of residence on social media.

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At the Sunday rally, Berkeley police enforced new city rules that prohibited weapons or anything that can be used for a riot, as well as masks.

The result was a string of arrests made, many of them under the citation of “possession of a banned weapon” or “working with others to commit a crime.”

Antifa counter-protesters, known for often wearing masks, made up a majority of the arrests. While the imbalance could be a result of Antifa’s masks and the inherently disruptive nature of counter-protests, some feel it is a sign of animosity toward left-wing activists.

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The Berkeley Police Department, through a spokesman, stood by the decision to publicly identify the arrested protesters.

“People are coming from out of town and bringing weapons and are committed to violence … We don’t want people to be able to do that with anonymity,” spokesman Byron White said.

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