Sean Hannity took time during his Monday night show to call out white supremacists and counterprotesters, saying that there is “no place” in the United States for such extremism. According to Fox News , the host condemned demonstrators who showed up in Portland, Oregon over the weekend in no uncertain terms.
“To each and every single person on either side that has an extreme agenda, you must stop this insanity – this lawlessness,” Hannity said.
The Fox News host spoke about how Antifa and far-right groups in Portland clashed as they held opposing rallies in the city over the weekend. Hannity didn’t aim his message at either side, calling for violence to be stopped regardless of who starts it.
“Police need to stop this and end it and drop it right when it starts,” he said on Monday’s show. “This kind of behavior is unacceptable, it’s insane, it’s despicable, it’s violence, it’s extremism, and it’s hurting our country.”
Hannity called for unity, pointing out that citizens can resolve their issues at the ballot box rather than by using violence.
“Let’s not forget, we can have political disagreements but at the end of the day, we are all Americans. We’re all created equal. We’re all one nation under God,” he said. “In the United States, political differences — we solve them at the ballot box.”
He went on to say, after an aside about Hillary Clinton working with Russia to corrupt the election, that his show would always fight against hatred and said that both sides were driven by “evil ideologies.”
He concluded the segment by saying that people on the left don’t defend the values of an open, peaceful and fair society, attacking congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.
White supremacists descended on the city of roses on Saturday when far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the American Guard gathered to condemn anti-fascist activists, according to The Oregonian .
Counter protestors vied for attention by banging drums, chanting, blocking traffic, wearing bright costumes, and performing in a brass band.
Some anti-fascist protesters like to dress as bananas … which I guess is frightening if you think about it. I think I might be genuinely terrified if a banana taller than me walked down the street and punched a nazi with its banana fist. https://t.co/M0s8c8COD0
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ? (@JoyAnnReid) August 19, 2019
While the protest was largely peaceful, there were some broken windows and over a dozen people were arrested. At one point, it appears that a group of counterprotesters charged a small bus and had a skirmish with the people inside when one of the members of the white supremacy group inside brandished a hammer.
Over 1,200 people showed up to the rally, according to The New York Times , and portions of the city ground to a halt.
