It was a “night of rage” in Madison, Wisconsin last night as demonstrators destroyed two statues and attacked a state senator for filming their riotous behavior:
In a night of rage in Madison, demonstrators tore down statues dedicated to progress and ending slavery and punched and kicked a state senator who photographed them.
— via @MollyBeck & @lawrencegandreahttps://t.co/S3KsJYxnJs
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) June 24, 2020
State Sen. Tim Carpenter says he was punched and kicked in the head for daring to document what was going on:
"I don't know what happened … all I did was stop and take a picture … and the next thing I'm getting five-six punches, getting kicked in the head," Carpenter told a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter following the assault.
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) June 24, 2020
Sen. Carpenter is progressive and openly gay:
State Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee. Openly gay. So this beat down probably qualifies for a hate crime. https://t.co/w9bkgSaqE6
— Kevin Binversie (@kevinbinversie) June 24, 2020
But protesters said he started it:
Wisconsin State Senator Tim Carpenter was just attacked by a group of protesters on Fairchild Street.
Protesters said he provoked them.
“This is the first time I’ve been assaulted” he says
— Lawrence Andrea (@lawrencegandrea) June 24, 2020
He’s taking a knee, but not in protest:
He’s currently kneeling on the ground next to his car pic.twitter.com/jo1ZNwE3FN
— Lawrence Andrea (@lawrencegandrea) June 24, 2020
An ambulance had to be called:
I believe this is State Senator Tim Carpenter. Minutes earlier he told us the protesters assaulted him. Then he collapsed walking towards the Capitol. We called paramedics. An ambulance is here now. pic.twitter.com/uUSdKyQ1hp
— Lance Veeser (@lanceveeser) June 24, 2020
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Sen. Carpenter later tweeted out the video that provoked the mob:
I took this pic- it got me assaulted & beat up. Punched/kicked in the head, neck, ribs. Maybe concussion, socked in left eye is little blurry, sore neck & ribs. 8-10 people attacked me. Innocent people are going to get killed. Capitol locked- stuck in office.Stop violence nowPlz! pic.twitter.com/Zw2hdfYG66
— Tim Carpenter (@TimCarpenterMKE) June 24, 2020
One of the statues torn down was of Hans Christian Heg, an abolitionist colonel in the Union army who died during the Civil War:
Those who tore down the statues threw one of them in a lake. It honored Hans Christian Heg, an abolitionist and Union colonel who died fighting to end slavery.
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) June 24, 2020
They beheaded Col. Heg, ISIS-style:
Statue of Hans Christian Heg has been pulled down at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Protesters got very confrontation when I tried to film. pic.twitter.com/p7ACUDz0SB
— Dylan Brogan (@telldylan) June 24, 2020
And then threw him in a lake:
Protesters just dumped the Hans Christian Heg statue into Lake Monona. pic.twitter.com/wW7rpKUsFQ
— Emily Hamer (@ehamer7) June 24, 2020
So much for the “summer of love”:
He must be mistaken, the protesters are celebrating a summer of love bringing peace and joy to all. Perhaps he beat himself up and thought protesters did it. https://t.co/IBBGgomoVT
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 24, 2020
A second statue honoring the state motto was destroyed as well:
Simply incredible…
"In Madison, statues of Wisconsin's motto "Forward" and of Col. Hans Christian Heg were dragged away from their spots guarding the statehouse. Heg was an anti-slavery activist who fought and died for the Union during the U.S. Civil War." 1/
— Kevin Binversie (@kevinbinversie) June 24, 2020
And she’s down:
Lady Forward statute has been removed by protesters at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Statue is now in the middle of the street. pic.twitter.com/aqgbuEsojl
— Dylan Brogan (@telldylan) June 24, 2020
The Capitol sustained damage as well:
Here’s some of the damage at the Wisconsin State Capitol pic.twitter.com/TqusYNLYU2
— Lawrence Andrea (@lawrencegandrea) June 24, 2020
Oh, and then the police showed up AFTER the statues were destroyed and a state senator assaulted:
Police have now arrived to respond to the destruction at the Wisconsin State Capitol, which began at least two hours ago.
Two statues were torn down, one state Senator was assaulted and the protesters attempted to break windows and doors to get into the state Capitol building.
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) June 24, 2020
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