New York City, New York – Today’s #CrushTrump rally in Manhattan attracted hundreds of demonstrators keen to catch the eye of sympathetic media organisations. Indeed protesters were overheard heaping praise on CNN’s coverage of the march today, declaring “The story on CNN is that ‘it’s a great event, people came, people hate Donald Trump, there was no violence.’ And that’s it, end of story.”
But despite the glowing coverage from some mainstream media outlets, activists with the Spartacist League – a hard line, Communist, Trotskyite group – were unwilling to speak to press, with their activists’ minders telling Breitbart News: “We don’t talk to the press… We’re not interested in talking to the press… So please don’t publish this conversation.”
The Spartacist League, modelled on a Marxist group from 1910s Germany, is known for its defence of the North American Man/Boy Love Association – a paedophile group which campaigns for the abolition of sexual age of consent laws. In 2005, it published in its magazine “Worker’s Vanguard”:
NAMBLA’s name is perennially dragged through the plentiful Boston mud, having been pounded for over 20 years by media smears and witchhunting prosecutions. We in the Spartacist League have repeatedly defended this tiny beleaguered group as an elementary act of proletarian decency. We oppose criminalizing their advocacy of the eminently reasonable proposition that youth who have sexual feelings be allowed to express them. NAMBLA simply advocates the decriminalization of consensual sex between men and boys.
A salesperson of the Workers’ Vanguard was gladly speaking to Breitbart News about her wishes for more, European-style general strikes in the United States, also claiming that she would rather have the U.S. run like a Soviet republic, by committee, and abolishing the Presidency.
But a few minutes into the conversation, a minder approached Breitbart journalists, asking: “Are you guys with the press?” before insisting that the group “don’t talk to the press” and asking that Breitbart News not “publish this conversation”.
At no point did the four Breitbart News journalists present pretend not to be press, with our cameras and audio equipment visible and seen at all times. Indeed the lady speaking to Breitbart News had no problems speaking to us, until a male minder arrived to remind her of her responsibilities.
The audio clip of the intervention can be heard below, with a transcript after:
TRANSCRIPT:
Minder: Are you guys with the press?
Lee Stranahan (Breitbart News): Yeah.
Woman: Oh you’re with the press?
Minder: What press are you with?
Raheem Kassam (Breitbart London): Breitbart News.
Minder: What?
Raheem: Breitbart News.
Minder: Breitbart News? Are you recording this conversation?
Raheem: Yes.
Minder: We don’t talk to the press.
Raheem: Oh… okay?
Lee: Why don’t you talk to the press?
Minder: We’re not interested in talking to the press.
Lee: You’re at a public event…
Minder: But we don’t talk to the press.
Raheem: That’s fine.
Minder: So please don’t publish this conversation.
Lee: Of course we will. You’re at a public event, outdoors, talking.
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