Man allegedly choked at Sam Houston protest

A bystander video that surfaced Monday appears to show an armed man place a demonstrator with Nazi symbols in a choke hold at Saturday’s gathering to support the statue of Sam Houston in the city’s Hermann Park.

The man who was choked had been carrying a megaphone, signs with alternative right images such as “Pepe the Frog” and a flag that combined elements of the American flag with Nazi symbols such as the sonnenrad, which the Anti-Defamation League says was used by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party as well stormtroopers in the SA and SS. Today the symbol is popular with white supremacists, according to the ADL, an anti-hate organization founded in 1913.

The alt-right supporter soon was escorted from the demonstration, walking toward the police line as demonstrators chanted, “Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye.”

The Houston Police Department did not make any arrests or issue any citations at the protest, spokesman Victor Senties said Monday. The protest followed apparently fake calls for the statue’s removal because Sam Houston owned slaves.

Police, who had a heavy presence along the edges of the protest, were not aware of the altercation until a reporter asked about the video Monday. Officers met the man at the police line as he was escorted out, but the man did not mention an assault or ask to file a complaint, Senties said.