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Nearly 200 members of a Texas-based group described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as white nationalists marched through Center City on Saturday evening carrying shields and flags, and chanting slogans such as "Reclaim America" and "The election was stolen," 6abc reports.
In a video shared to Twitter, bystanders can be heard shouting "shame on you," and "get the f*** out of here," at the masked members as they marched through the city.
"They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too happy about what they were saying," Philadelphia Police Officer Michael Crum told 6abc.
"These males felt threatened, and, at one point, somebody in their crowd threw a type of smoke bomb to cover their retreat, and they literally ran away from the people of Philadelphia," he added.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a tweet he was “appalled” that the group chose his city as the place to "demonstrate their open hatred."
There were no arrests, injuries, or reports of damage Philadelphia police spokeswoman Tanya Little told NBC News.
Patriot Front "espouses racism, anti-Semitism, and intolerance under the guise of preserving the “ethnic and cultural origins” of their European ancestors," according to the Anti-Defamation League.
"Patriot Front participates in localized “flash mobs” and torch marches/demonstrations," the organization added.
The group had recently been distributing leaflets, posting stickers, and spraying graffiti throughout the Philadelphia suburbs and Lehigh Valley, Shira Goodman from the league’s Philadelphia chapter told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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