Last week, two Marines testified against two “Antifa” members who assaulted them last month, and the Antifa members will now face a trial.
U.S. Marine reservists Alejandro Godinez and Luis Torres testified against Tom Keenan and Thomas Massey about the Nov. 15 incident in Philadelphia, saying that they were attacked by the Antifa members who mistook them for right-wing protesters, Fox News reported Monday.
Godinez and Torres were touring Philadelphia while in the city for a Marine event when they unknowingly entered into the same vicinity as Antifa members.
Various Antifa members approached the Marines, including Keenan, who asked if the two were members of the “Proud Boys” right-wing group.
Torres responded that he was unaware of what “Proud Boys” was.
We sent @VictorFIorillo to court today to hear testimony from the two @USMC Marines who say they were attacked by an “Antifa mob” that include Tom Massey and Thomas Keenan, pictured. https://t.co/D3Cmeo0SUA #antifa
— Philly Mag (@phillymag) December 13, 2018
Shortly after the encounter, approximately 10 Antifa members approached the Marines and began assaulting them.
They punched and kicked the Marines, sprayed them with mace, and issued a slew of insults and slurs toward them.
One of the Antifa members even stole one of the Marine’s cell phones.
All of the assailants fled the scene, prompting Philadelphia Police to post a video and call on the public to help identify them.
During his testimony, Godinez said he was shocked when he was accused of being a white supremacist during the attack, to which he told the attackers, “I’m Mexican.”
However, that did not stop their assault, and instead fueled a barrage of ethnic slurs.
“The best way I can describe it is the sound of people chanting in a soccer stadium,” Godinez said during the testimony last week. He added that Keenan was “laughing, smiling and having a good time, while I could have died that day.”
After the attack, the Marines were transported to Jefferson Hospital. Torres refused treatment, but Godinez was treated after he was hit in the head, kicked in the ribs, and sprayed with mace six or more times.
A rally entitled “We The People” had been taking place that day and involved various groups, including the far right “Proud Boys” group and other allied groups.
Antifa was among an estimated hundreds of counter-protesters who showed up at the event, causing clashes that resulted in arrests and police escorts to disperse the crowds, according to the Washington Examiner.
Keenan, 33, turned himself in to police on Nov. 20 and was charged with “two counts of criminal conspiracy, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of terroristic threats, two counts of simple assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment.”
Massey faces the same misdemeanor charges.
Keenan also faces a felony charge of ethnic intimidation over the ethnic slurs he yelled at the Marines.
Keenan’s attorney attempted to describe the incident as a “tussle,” to which the judge rejected that assertion.
“This isn’t like kids at a playground,” the judge said.
