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The Guardian Angels physically assaulted a man during a live interview on Fox News on Tuesday evening, and mistakenly identified him as a “migrant” in a segment airing during prime time. The intention of the segment was to showcase the chaos and criminal activity supposedly caused by recent newcomers to New York City.
The strange argument occurred during Curtis Sliwa’s conversation with Sean Hannity in Times Square, while he was surrounded by volunteers wearing their recognizable red berets and bomber jackets, as part of his anti-crime patrol group.
As a few Guardian Angels departed from Sliwa’s presence to address a disturbance off-camera, the camera shifted to capture them confronting an unknown individual. They proceeded to push him to the ground and restrain him in a headlock.
“Our team has successfully apprehended one of the migrant individuals at the intersection of 42nd and 7th, where this incident has occurred,” Sliwa informed Hannity. He raised his hands in frustration and exclaimed, “They’ve taken control!”
According to the police, the individual is not a migrant, but a resident of the Bronx in New York. However, Sliwa asserted that the person had been apprehended for shoplifting, but the police did not present any proof to back this claim.
A representative from the New York Police Department stated that upon their arrival, they discovered a man who had been “restrained by onlookers” for reportedly attempting to interrupt a live interview. The police further reported that the man was given a citation for disorderly conduct due to his disruptive and menacing behavior on a public sidewalk.
The representative did not answer inquiries regarding whether any Guardian Angels were being investigated for their involvement in the altercation.
After a fight broke out in Times Square between law enforcement and a group of immigrants, there was a lot of criticism towards the city’s asylum seekers. Certain supporters of immigrants have accused local authorities and the police force of creating fear around a supposed “crime wave” caused by migrants, despite the fact that the overall crime rate has not significantly changed since the arrival of many asylum seekers.
During an interview with The Associated Press, Sliwa stated that he had initially thought the man was a migrant due to his use of Spanish and because other members of the Guardian Angels had encountered him with other Spanish speakers during previous patrols.
According to Sliwa, he was restrained in order to prevent harm to himself or others.
The Guardian Angels have been a mainstay in New York City since 1979, when Sliwa established them to monitor the streets and subways during a time of high crime. They have faced backlash in the past for allegedly singling out people of color. Sliwa also confessed some time ago that he had exaggerated some of the group’s early achievements for media attention.
Erik Bottcher, a member of the City Council representing the Times Square area, stated that the group should not be holding individuals without proper legal authorization.
Bottcher stated that vigilantes are not the solution. When individuals take matters of justice into their own hands, it can worsen conflicts and create even greater risks for everyone involved.
In the month of May, an ex-Marine who was riding the subway intervened when a fellow passenger began yelling at others on the train. The man who was restrained, Jordan Neely, a former subway performer, passed away. Daniel Penny, the former Marine, has entered a plea of not guilty for manslaughter.
Source: independent.co.uk
