Protesters Brawl with Obama Campaign Staffers

Following last night’s coordinated protests, which included the occupation of Obama campaign headquarters in Oakland, California and Portland, Oregon, video footage from inside the building in Oakland has surfaced.

Scott Olsen –the Iraq war veteran who was injured and hospitalized during a clash between Occupy Oakland and law enforcement in October 2011 – posted the following video at his YouTube channel.

The video depicts protesters tussling with Obama campaign staff, most of whom are female, while another protester speaks on his cell phone with an unnamed individual as he summarizes the demands of the occupiers. At just about the 1:30 mark, the situation escalates and chaos ensues. Yelling can be heard from both sides, chairs can be heard being tossed around, and pushing and shoving is seen on camera.

“This is our space, get out of here!” screams one of the campaign office staffers to the protesters. “This man is a veteran!” one protester responds. “These are Obama’s wars!” yells another of the protesters.

While Occupy Oakland members participated in the protest, the majority of those inside the campaign office were also with Veterans for Peace, a prominent fixture in the institutional left’s anti-war movement.

Another video from Olsen depicts a protester in the Oakland campaign office reading the group’s demands from a bullhorn. Those demands focus on “statements of guilt” that Obama has made about PFC Bradley Manning — the soldier who currently faces trial for providing classified materials to the whistleblower website Wikileaks — according to the protesters, as well as complaints about Obama’s promises to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Twelve protesters were arrested between the two demonstrations — six in Oakland, CA and six in Portland, OR, according to police reports. Protests are also said to have occurred in Seattle and Tacoma as well.