Protest in New Orleans Leads to Journalist Assault
On Saturday night, an independent journalist named Nick Souter was attacked during a protest at a federal building in New Orleans. The incident occurred after Souter questioned a protest speaker about her claim that the National Guard was racist.
A woman leading the protest stated, “We don’t have an army of racists on our streets.” Souter asked her for an example of the National Guard’s racism, but she refused to respond.
“What about Andrew Wolf and Sarah Beckstrom? Were they racist while protecting the people of Washington, D.C.?” he continued, but again received no answer.
Shortly afterward, a woman in a yellow vest tried to grab Souter and his phone, leading to a brief altercation. Following this, some protesters began assaulting journalists who were simply asking questions.
In another moment captured on video, Souter approached a woman with a Honduran flag and remarked, “That’s not an American flag, is it?” praising her flag as “cool.” However, she retaliated by hitting him and seizing his cellphone. Souter countered, “You might be able to do that in Honduras, but you can’t do that here.”
Souter also confronted alleged protest leaders, informing them about the violent behavior of some attendees and expressing concern about keeping aggressive individuals away.
At one point, some individuals in yellow vests attempted to forcibly remove Souter from the protest area. He managed to navigate around a block of protesters that was trying to keep him contained.
Eventually, someone called the police. Upon arrival, an officer instructed Souter and others not to provoke the protesters, suggesting that photographers simply remain at a distance. “If you ask them questions and start a dialogue, you are creating problems,” the officer stated.
This incident marks the second time recently that Souter has faced aggression from protesters while doing his job. In October, he was arrested by Portland police following another attack by demonstrators. The police later dropped those charges.
