Recruiting operations continue after Berkeley protesters target window of Marine recruiting station

The window of the Berkeley, California, Marine recruiting station fell victim to a protest run amok on Sunday after it was allegedly targeted by members of a loose collection of counter-protesters known as Antifa.

The Berkeley Police Department said it arrested nearly 20 demonstrators, most of them for “possession of banned weapons” after rival groups clashed in Berkeley.

The rally came to a boil after members of a “No to Marxism in America 2” rally and a counter group Antifa organized protests on the same day that city officials said neither group had obtained a permit for, Fox News reported.

“No Marine Corps personnel were present in the facility during Sunday’s protest, and although our facilities sustained minor damage, they are still in good condition and recruiting operations are ongoing,” Capt. Chad Hill, a spokesman for 12th Marine Corps District, told Marine Corps Times in an email.

A filmmaker for News2Share, Ford Fischer, uploaded a video to Twitter and Youtube showing the window of the Berkeley recruiting station being hit, allegedly by Antifa protesters.

Fischer claims he was threatened by the Antifa protesters after filming the incident: "Get the f--k back. Cops aren’t here. They won’t help you,” he posted on Twitter, which Fischer claims one of the protesters told him after filming the video.

It’s not the first time the Corps has witnessed some form of public outlash against its Berkeley recruiting station.

In 2008, Berkeley City Council members said Marine recruiters were no longer welcome in the city and applauded protestors for nonviolently impeding Marine recruiting efforts.

The incident was famously parodied by former Marine officer Rob Riggle and then-comedian for the Daily Show in a 2008 skit where Riggle went undercover as a hippie to understand Berkeley’s reaction to the Corps’ recruiting efforts in the city.

Berkeley police said there were no significant injuries as the result of Sunday’s dueling protests.

“The lack of injuries is fortunate given that extremists threw explosives at Berkeley Police and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office mutual aid officers. Berkeley Fire treated and released three members of the public for minor injuries,” Berkeley police said in a press release.

City vehicles were also damaged in the protest and one was set on fire.

Marine Corps Times reached out to Berkeley Antifa participants and did not receive a comment.

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