Philadelphia mayor ignored left-wing agitators who harassed Moms for Liberty
Christopher Tremoglie
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Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is known for his lack of tolerance and acceptance of those with whom he disagrees. He thinks he is above disagreement and dissension and rarely, if ever, welcomes debate. So it was no surprise that he scolded Moms for Liberty in a message last week before the organization’s summit began in Philadelphia. Yet, while he warned of the “dangers” of this mom’s group, Kenny ignored the radical left-wing agitators — and self-described communists — who vandalized a summit venue and verbally abused mothers daily.
“With the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia this week, I want to be clear that as a welcoming and inclusive City, we find this group’s beliefs and values problematic, especially when they target spaces where children deserve to feel safe and supported,” Kenney said in a tweet.
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“However, in spite of our disagreement with the views of Moms for Liberty, we also take freedom of speech very seriously. The City’s response to any demonstration or public protest will prioritize the safety of participants and members of the public and protect the constitutional rights of all individuals without regard to the views expressed by any group,” Kenney added in an official statement. “Let us remember and uphold our values as a proud welcoming city that will always choose to celebrate diversity, value inclusion, and stand against hate and discrimination.”
But the mayor’s words ring hollow. And in the city that gave birth to our nation’s freedoms and liberties, the Founding Fathers would have been embarrassed by Kenney’s actions, or lack thereof. His talk about prioritizing safety and “taking freedom of speech seriously” didn’t apply to Moms for Liberty. On the heels of Kenney’s statement about being a “proud, welcoming city,” the venue for the summit’s first event, Philadelphia’s Museum of the Revolution, was vandalized the night before, with scoundrels shattering museum windows and spraying graffiti on historical artifacts. Shockingly (sarcasm), neither Kenney nor any of the city’s Democrats in leadership ever mentioned the attack.
The attack on the museum was just one example of the communists’ and left-wingers’ intimidation tactics. Each day, as some of the mothers tried to leave the conference hotel, they were called insulting, discriminatory, and derogatory names — odd, given the Left’s supposed dislike for hate speech — and verbally abused and threatened by the fanatics gathered outside. I personally experienced one such incident when I accompanied a trio of moms to a car outside the hotel to protect them from aggressive bad actors. Harassment was regular and had become so dangerous that police frequently had to intervene and escort mothers to nearby restaurants or Uber drivers they requested.
However, had Moms for Liberty vandalized anything or exhibited the virulent, antagonistic, and aggressive behavior that the protesters exhibited each day of the summit toward the mothers, the mayor would have addressed it. It would have resulted in citywide condemnation from Philadelphia’s Democratic politicians and the moms would have been branded extremists. It would have most likely made national news. This discrepancy in outrage and lack of comments from Philadelphia’s Democrats is telling and must be acknowledged.
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Scarlett Johnson, one of the mothers who were harassed by the left-wing agitators, told her account of what happened in this video here, which is being restricted on Twitter.
These aggressive and intimidating tactics are indicative of how those on the Left try to suppress the rights of those they disagree with. They advance propaganda to create resentment against their political opponents. Moreover, the virulent behavior and intimidation attempts from the Left’s agitators were dangerous and wholly inappropriate and must start receiving the widespread condemnation they deserve.