Candidate and Organizer of #Murrieta Protests Claims ‘Professional Gang Members’ Now in City

Jul 6, 2014
12:28 PM

UPDATE: Another account of the July 4 protests is a bit more detailed, especially when it comes to allegations of flag burning. Read it here.

One thing to note about Diana Serafin, the candidate running for Murrieta City Council who is organizing the current immigration protests that have gotten national attention: she is not being very discrete on social media about her intentions. In fact, Serafin is proud to claim that she is the one behind all these protests:

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Besides what we have already shared about Serafin’s views, yesterday she also claimed that “80 professional gang members” arrived in Murrieta on July 4:

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Serafin didn’t really offer any proof, but made references to arrests, flag burnings and claims that counter-protesters were brought in. She did share the following post from Canada Free Press which alleged that “leftist activists” were arrested and even mutilated an American flag:

The atmosphere of tension between local residents and DHS/US Border patrol at the federal processing compound in Murrieta had become further inflamed yesterday morning when hundreds of college students in conjunction with radical pro-immigration activists from La Raza, the Communist Revolution Party as well as other Occupy-linked groups, were bused in from Los Angeles, purposefully positioning themselves opposite peaceful local Murrieta residents at the front gates of the facility. The highly confrontational leftist activists had been seen desecrating a number of small flags that local residents had pinned to the DHS facility fence, while also burning American flags on the very holiday that commemorates the country’s independence from Great Britain’s rule. The timing of this dramatic effect was not lost on those who are truly aware of the many challenges facing America today, as lefty-agitators mutilated a symbol that represents the freedom in which the United States was founded on 238 years ago.

However, a much more detailed local account from The Desert Sun tells a different story:

UPDATE (5:00 p.m.): Two men and three women were arrested about 4 p.m. on the south end of Madison and Fig, according to Murrieta police.

A woman was involved in a fight with another woman, and when officers went to detain the woman, she did not cooperate and jumped on the officer’s back. She was arrested on suspicion of battery on an officer. The other four interfered and were arrested on suspicion of obstructing an officer in his investigation. Police did not say on what side of the issue the protesters were on. The arrests came after one earlier in the day. A person crossed the yellow tape that blocked protesters from the border patrol station entrance about 9 a.m. and was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and disobeying an officer.

-Ricardo Cano

UPDATE (12:31 p.m.): At least one protester was arrested Friday outside the Border Patrol station in Murrieta.

The protester was seen calmly walking towards a police squad car, as demonstrators both opposing and supporting the federal government’s recent migrant policies lined a rural road and shouted at each other.

CBS2 identified the arrested protester as Larry Spencer, and said police told them he was charged with delaying a police officer.

“It’s a free speech issue,” Spencer told the station, as he vowed “I am not going anywhere.”

– City News Service

UPDATE (11:00 a.m.): At least one protester was arrested today outside the Border Patrol station in Murrieta, as tensions rose among protesters from both sides of the immigration issue.

The protester was seen calmly walking towards a police squad car, as demonstrators both opposing and supporting the federal government’s recent migrant policies lined a rural road and shouted at each other.

There are no reports from The Desert Sun about flag desecrations. Breitbart published a rather one-sided “news story” from a protester who claimed that the “pro-amnesty crowd” desecrated and burned flags. We are still trying to confirm this independently since we have yet to see any confirmed proof that this indeed happened.

Also, we are still waiting to hear whoe the “80 professional gang members” were at the July 4 protests.