Last Updated on February 17, 2022
An antifa member known as “Commander Red” dropped into the fetal position and cried when arrested by police despite being armed with a flamethrower.
Matthe Banta, 23, was arrrested by police on Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Banta is known the police as a “Commander Red” of antifa, who regularly goes around inciting violence at protests. The police responded to a call on Monday to check out “a whole bunch of white people with sticks, baseball bats and helmets headed… towards the police” at a BLM protest in Green Bay.
The responding officer spotted four individuals, including Banta who was carrying a bat and an antifa flag – the other three ran away as soon as they spotted the squad car, but Banta wasn’t so lucky. As the officer approached him, Banta “dropped into the fetal position and began crying,” screeching that the officer was lying on top of him, something the police have categorically denied.
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Police found “military grade 5 minute” smoke grenades, a flamethrower, firework rockets, and antifa stickers in Banta’s bag. “It’s worrisome when people associated with Antifa come here to Green Bay from out of town for the purpose of protesting here or for the purposes of committing violent acts,” said Green Bay PD Chief Andrew Smith.
At the time of his arrest, Banta was out on a $10,000 cash bond, as he has been accused of biting and kicking a police officer at a previous riot, along with pointing a loaded firearm at another officer. A condition of this bond was that he could not be in possession of a dangerous weapon. He was charged with two counts of felony bail jumping and obstructing an officer, but was released late Monday on a $2,500 bond.
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Police had arrested 14 others at Saturday’s BLM protest in Green Bay, after it turned violent. “Burning buildings, hurting people, shooting, looting, vandalizing, there’s absolutely no way that is a form of protest,” Chief Smith told Fox 11. “That’s criminal behavior.”
