Women's March Austin, right-wing groups clash at Wooldridge Square Park
AUSTIN, Texas - On Saturday, the Women’s March Austin and the Proud Boys, Trump Supporters with Texans for America, Just Another Channel, and InfoWars held dueling demonstrations in Wooldridge Square Park.
The Anti-Defamation League says the Proud Boys are misogynistic, transphobic, anti-immigration, and Islamophobic.
FOX 7 Austin heard members of the group yell a number of misogynistic and transphobic insults at demonstrators with the Women’s March. The ADL also claims that some Proud Boys members are anti-Semitic and white supremacists.
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Proud Boy Christopher Ritchie says he is neither of those things. He self-identifies as a “proud Western Chauvinist.” “We believe the west is the best,” he explained.
“We’ve suffered a lot over the last four years, I’m ready to do something.” laughed 86-year-old Women’s March participant Anne Sigler.
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Texans United for America organizer Jen Loh claims the right-wing groups had a Trump rally planned in the park for months. Women's March Organizers say they planned the annual demonstration with city officials. What exactly happened remains unclear.
Organizers of both groups tell FOX 7 Austin they did not attempt to contact each other once realizing there was a scheduling conflict. They were not required to obtain permits.
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The groups spent the afternoon arguing.
“I think it’s great. I think people have to get out and say what they wanna say even though I disagree with the ones over there… pretty bad.” Sigler laughed, pointing to the Proud Boys. “But, that’s okay. That’s alright. We’ve got to be able to keep on disagreeing with each other.”