HAVE MADE THEIR WAY FROM
ROXBURY AND ARE MARCHING
TOWARDS THE BOSTON COMMON.
CHRISTINA HAGER IS AT BOSTON
COMMON.
CHRISTINA, YOU WERE THERE WHEN
SOME TENSE MOMENTS ARRAYED.
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THIS
POINT?
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
HERE.
THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE HERE FOR
A FEW HOURS, SOME PEOPLE
WAITING TO GO INTO THE BAND
STAND.
YOU CAN SEE THIS RALLY IS GOING
ON NOW.
SO PEOPLE ARE IN THERE.
SPEAKERS ARE IN THERE.
AND THEN THERE ARE, OF COURSE,
A LOT OF COUNTER-PROTESTERS OUT
HERE.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE TRYING
TO GET IN WHO WANTED TO ATTEND
THE RALLY TO LISTEN TO THE
SPEECHES WHO WERE EXPRESSING
FRUSTRATION THAT THEY WEREN'T
ABLE TO GET IN BECAUSE THERE'S
A LOT OF SECURITY.
YOU CAN SEE TWO RINGS OF
BARRIERS AND POLICE SURROUNDING
THE BANDSTAND ON THE COMMON.
THERE WERE SOME TENSE MOMENTS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT IS
ALMOST -- IT'S INEVITABLE
BECAUSE DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH
DIFFERENT OPINIONS CROWDED
TOGETHER.
WHAT WE SAW JUST A LITTLE WHILE
AGO WAS ONE MAN APPARENTLY A
TRUMP SUPPORTER, I COULDN'T
HEAR WHAT HE WAS SAYING BUT I
DID SEE IT COMING TO
FISTICUFFS.
I SAW PUNCHES BEING THROWN.
WE GOT SOME FOOTAGE OF THAT.
IT WAS A LITTLE TENSE FOR US
BEING -- NOT INTENDING TO BE
BUT JUST BEING CLOSE IN
PROXIMITY WHILE THAT WAS
HAPPENING.
I TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE AS
PEOPLE WERE JUST ARRIVING ON
BOTH SIDES.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO CALL
THEMSELVES ANTI-FASCISTS, AND
THEY TEND TO BE WEARING BLACK.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME AROUND ME
HERE.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
WITH BLACK MASKS.
I ASKED ONE MAN WHY WAS HE
WEARING BLACK MASK.
HE SAID ON ONE HAND IT'S FOR
PROTECTION.
ON THE OTHER HAND HE WANTED TO
REMAIN ANONYMOUS.
HE DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE WHO KNOW
HIM, HIS FAMILY TO HOLD IT
AGAINST HIM THAT HE IS OUT HERE
ESPECIALLY IF THINGS GET TENSE.
I ALSO SPOKE WITH PEOPLE WHEN
THEY WERE WAITING FOR ATTENDEES
OF THE RALLY AT THE ENTRANCE
HERE, ONE MAN WHO DESCRIBED
HIMSELF AS WORKING WITH THE
ORGANIZERS PROVIDING SECURITY.
HE WAS WEARING GOGGLES.
I ASKED HIM WHY WAS HE WEARING
THE GOGGLES, AND HE SUDDEN
LIGHT OF WHAT HE SAW LAST
WEEKEND HE WANTED TO PROTECT
HIS EYES.
HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT PEPPER
SEPARATION TEAR GAS.
HE EXPRESSED FEAR ABOUT WHAT HE
CALLED THE ANTIFA PEOPLE OUT
HERE.
HE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
SECURITY.
THERE WERE SOME VERY STRICT
RULES ABOUT NO STICKS, NO
WEAPONS, NOTHING THAT CAN EVEN
BE USED AS A WEAPON HERE ON THE
COMMON.
IT SEEMS LIKE WHERE WE ARE
STANDING, THIS IS A BIG AREA,
THIS WHOLE AREA SURROUNDING THE
BAND STAND.
SO WE CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE AT
ONCE.
WHERE WE ARE STANDING RIGHT NOW
THINGS SEEM TO HAVE CALMED
DOWN.
I CAN HEAR SCREAMING ON THE
OTHER SIDE.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE TRIES TO
WALK THROUGH THE BARRICADES
THERE'S AN ALLEYWAY, AND
PROTESTERS THROW CHANTS OUT,
RACISTS GO HOME, THINGS LIKE
THAT.
SO THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING
HERE AND HOPING THIS REMAINS
CALM.
EVERYBODY IS SAYING THEY HOPE
IT REMAINS CALM.
I HAVEN'T RUN INTO ANYBODY
SAYING THAT THEY ARE HERE AMPED
UP AND READY TO CAUSE
SOMETHING.
I ALSO HAVEN'T SEEN ANY KIND OF
NAZI OR ANTI-SEMITIC OR ANY
WHITE SEPARATIST FLAGS,
ANYTHING OF THAT SORT.
REALLY JUST TRUMP -- PEOPLE WHO
ARE CLEARLY HERE TO SUPPORT
TRUMP WITH THE MAKE AMERICA
GREAT AGAIN HATS OR TRUMP T-
SHIRTS AND PEOPLE HERE WITH
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND PEOPLE
HERE WITH -- THEY DESCRIBE
THEMSELVES AS ANTI-FASCIST.
IT'S NOT REALLY TWO SIDES HERE.
IT'S MANY DIFFERENT CAUSES AND
MANY DIFFERENT SIDES HERE ON
THE COMMON.
THAT'S THE LATEST.
BACK TO YOU.
CHRISTINA, HOW WOULD YOU
DESCRIBE THE TURNOUT FOR THE
FREE SPEECH RALLY ITSELF?
LOOKING AT THE AERIAL IMAGES IT
SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE PEOPLE ON
THE BAND STAND ITSELF BUT NO
ONE SURROUNDING IT.
Reporter: RIGHT.
THAT WAS INTENTIONAL.
THERE ARE BARRICADES AROUND THE
BAND STAND SO THEY DIDN'T WANT
ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO SURROUND
IT, AT ALL.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAD
TOLD US EARLIER ON THAT THEY
WERE A LITTLE FRUSTRATED THEY
COULDN'T GET IN.
THEY WANTED TO GO IN NOT TO
PROTEST BUT TO LISTEN TO THE
SPEECHES AND TAKE PART.
AND BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY
SECURITY THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO
GET IN.
I DON'T KNOW IF MORE PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET IN SINCE
WE HEARD FROM THOSE PEOPLE BUT
NOT A HUGE TURNOUT.
CERTAINLY MANY, MANY MORE
