Trump supporters face violent crowds and hateful rhetoric just blocks from the White House. Julia Inger shares with The Pavlovic Today how she was attacked while dining at a restaurant.
Last night, at a quarter to six, violent demonstrations on behalf of counter-protesters were well underway, exhibiting disdain for not only President Trump’s #MarchforTrump but also for any supporters of his still lingering on the streets.
Julia Inger, an immigrant and first-time voter from CT had a front-row seat to the chaos that happened just a few blocks from the White House. Dressed in American flag sweatpants and a red sweatshirt, Julie was having dinner at P.J. Clarke’s when a group of protesters began harassing the restaurant-goers.
This video shows her facing the crowd before turning her back to walk inside the restaurant. Immediately after, a firework was thrown into the area.
Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer conducted an interview with Julia in front of the St Regis hotel, which had also become subject to crowds gathering in opposition to the hotel patrons’ political beliefs. The Capital Hilton across the street dealt with two groups of protestors on either side of their locked doors. The BLM crowd grew rowdy enough at one point that the order was made to sweep the street, and the police officers chanted, “MOVE back” in repetition.
When asked for her account of the events in the restaurant, Julia shared, “I was attacked because I was wearing this outfit… We were standing outside having dinner, and BLM saw my outfit, walked over, started cursing at me, calling names– you know, ‘you’re racist, you’re white, you’re this, you’re that’– even though I only became American citizen four years ago.” Among the plethora of names deployed against Trump-supporters, one of the most popular is “fascist.” Jewish herself, Julia found this label applied to her “absurd.”
Julia was born in the Ukraine, where she spent the first eleven years of her life, before moving to Israel and eventually immigrating to the United States. On the political climate she was witnessing first-hand, she stated, “These are things that I’m used to in Israel, but that’s why I immigrated to the US.” When asked what we should do if the climate does not improve, she said, “We should pack and move to another country, because there will be no USA. The freedom we were fighting for will be gone.”
She said that only America under President Trump stood a chance at assuaging the threat against free speech witnessed last night and for months on end.
VIDEO: A group of Trump supporters were dining at P.J. Clarke’s near the White House and counter protesters started launching bottles and a firework at them.
A man who was dining picked up a chair and threw it at some journalists. @USATODAY pic.twitter.com/8DiNMp5lmO
— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) November 14, 2020
“I think it’s unacceptable to, you know, have your dinner and be called names just because of my beliefs.” After the attacks, the restaurant shut down. The unwitting patrons waited for 40 minutes for the police to arrive.
“I wasn’t afraid,” Julia confirmed, “I was just more ridiculous and ashamed that this is what came.” At the time The Pavlovic Today spoke to her, Julia had been unable to get into her hotel for two and a half hours.
In a heartwarming appeal, she shared, “Seven years ago I came to DC, and I fell in love with America. I fell in love with what you guys have.” Many share Julia’s appreciation for the aspects of American life which are found heavily under fire today. “What happened? Is this really what we are?”, she asked. “Because I think we’re better than this.”
As both sides clamor for the rights they feel have been violated, one can only wonder what crashing crescendo might bring an end to all this — what might bring us closer together as an American people.