Aggressive crowd of BLM protesters accost white diners outside DC restaurants

A large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters have accosted white diners outside several Washington, D.C. restaurants, demanding that they raise their fists to show solidarity with the movement. 

Footage showing the demonstrators aggressively yelling at one woman in the Adams Morgan neighborhood went viral on social media and sparked a widespread backlash.  

Many accused the protesters of acting like an ‘aggressive mob’ and using ‘intimidation tactics’ to order diners into submission.  Responding to the footage, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough described the activists as ‘horrible people’. 

The footage shows the woman, identified as Lauren Victor, being shouted at by white protesters after she refuses to raise her fist. 

The group crowded Victor’s table, with two female demonstrators leaning down and shouting in her face. 

‘Are you a Christian?’ one of the women shout, outraged by the fact Victor was unwilling to raise her fist in solidarity.  

‘No justice, no peace!’ the large group of activists then start yelling. 

Victor later told Washington Post reporter Frederik Kunkle that she felt that she was ‘under attack’. 

Ironically, Victor is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has participated in many marches, but didn’t want to be ‘coerced’ into showing support. 

‘In the moment, it didn’t feel right,’ she stated. 

‘I wasn’t actually frightened. I didn’t think they’d do anything to me. I’m very much with them. I’ve been marching with them for weeks and weeks and weeks.’  

Many on Twitter took issue with the race of the Black Lives Matter protesters accosting Victor. 

Almost all of those seen in the video were white, with several people accusing the activists of undermining the positive work that black organizers have been doing in recent months. 

‘I see no black faces at all. These dopes will ruin this movement for all of us,’ African-American TV anchor Derek McGinty wrote. 

Others stated that it would turn people away from supporting the movement. 

‘You don’t win supporters by screaming in people’s faces and intimidating them. How many people have watched this video and been turned off? Is it about making a real change or just ego gratification? 

Another bluntly theorized: ‘This gives Trump four more years.’

Meanwhile, other videos showed the protesters screaming at another couple at a separate restaurant, calling them ‘trash’ for refusing to raise their fists. 

The incidents occurred less than 24 hours after police shot unarmed black man Jacob Blake, 29, in Kenosha, Wisconsin – an event that has re-energized many Black Lives Matter protesters. 

Blake was tasered and shot seven times by police as they tried to arrest him during a domestic dispute. He is paralyzed from the waist down. 

The shooting has been followed by three nights of protests, rioting and property damage in the city. The event has also given a renewed urgency to many Black Lives Matter groups across the nation. 

There has been overwhelming public support for Black Lives Matter protests, which have been taking place across the country following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd on Memorial Day. 

However, there have been instances where some have questioned whether the movement’s leaders have gone too far in trying to subordinate both supporters and passersby. 

Back in June, several white police officers and community members gathered to wash the feet of black faith leaders in North Carolina. 

While many believed the act would bring racial groups closer together, some argued that white people appeared to be in a state of capitulation, and that the feet-washing symbolized submission, as opposed to equality. 

Elsewhere, white protesters have also knelt in front of black community members and asked for forgiveness. 

Meanwhile, disturbing video circulating on social media back in June showed a black man ordering random white pedestrians in New York City to kneel down in front of him and apologize.