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California parent says Antifa's appearance at protest makes them 'feel unsafe' sending their kids to school
A California parent who protested against the Los Angeles Unified School District for sponsoring a Pride event for minors told Fox News Digital that they were confronted by members of Antifa.
"The time of our protest, which was scheduled to be at eight o'clock, we arrived to see a group gathered protesting against us," George said.
George, a father of two children who attend Saticoy Elementary School, does not want to disclose his full name due to fear of repercussions.
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"At first, we had absolutely no idea what we were up against. But, the aftermath, of course, proved that these were members of Antifa as they had masks with Antifa, and they were very aggressive in manner. There were several attacks on some of the peaceful protesters there antagonizing and just provoking things to a different level," George told Fox News Digital.
On June 2, George was among the North Hollywood parents that collided with counter-protesters outside Saticoy Elementary School when the Pride assembly was being held at the school.
Some parents were opposed to the reading of the book, "The Great Big Book of Families," which includes depictions of LGBTQ+ parents, during the planned assembly.
The Associated Press reported those demonstrating against the assembly outnumbered those in support. Some of those protesters wore t-shirts with phrases like "No Pride in Grooming" and "Leave our kids alone."
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George said he and other parents had "absolutely no intentions of encountering any Antifa members."
"So we were really caught off guard. We were surprised by their presence. We feel unsafe to send our children to school," he added.
George said parents want to be heard by the district to "understand that parents have rights, and they should come to terms with parents in having a say in how their children's futures are basically going to go."
"I’m hoping that we do come to terms because this is something that's impacting a lot of families, a lot of children, LAUSD, and other school boards. As this is a no-win conversation for either party and we wanna come to civil terms with LAUSD and make sure that they give us a respectful alternative for us to be able to feel safe to take, our children to school with dignity and not have to face any kind of radical groups, threatening our children or threatening us," he added.
The school district released a statement in response to the protest and addressed school safety.
"Los Angeles Unified remains committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students. We are also committed to ensuring diversity and inclusivity… In addition, out of an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles School Police Department will be providing additional patrols around the campus."
Fox News Bailee Hill contributed to this report.
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