Once hailed by Democrats and other liberal political and media figures as heroes for facing down the “authoritarianism” of President Donald J. Trump, Alt-Left organizations like Antifa, Black Lives Matter, the “Occupy” movement and others are starting to lose their luster. That’s because the “protest” tactics they are employing are violent, dangerous, and flat-out disgusting, making them harder and harder to defend.

For instance, as Circa News reports, Left-wing demonstrators who showed up in Boston recently to disrupt a free speech event wound up getting arrested, some for throwing bottles, urine, and other harmful objects…at police.

“The Boston Police Department said a total of 33 people were arrested during the rally, mostly for disorderly conduct and a couple for assaults on police officers,” the website reported.

Police Commissioner William Evans said during an afternoon press conference following the event, “Overall I thought we got the First Amendment people in, we got them out, no one got hurt, no one got killed.” In all, some 500 officers were deployed to help keep the peace.

But the violence was nevertheless pervasive, even though the police department asked attendees to the event in a tweet to “be sure to leave the sticks and stones at home.” Boston PD should have added urine and bottles to the list, though they shouldn’t have to.

Increasingly, police officers are going to be as targeted as conservative, right-leaning Trump supporters because they are already being viewed by the unhinged Alt-Left groups as part of the “problem.” (Related: Trump schools dishonest establishment media as he doubles down on the initial claim that “both sides” share blame for Charlottesville.)

At a mostly peaceful protest in Phoenix earlier this month, anti-Trump demonstrators attempted to pelt and assault police with gas canisters, rocks, and bottles. As reported by Fox News, “video captured by a local reporter also shows a smoking object being thrown at police while officers attempted to keep order at a rally after President Trump’s speech at the Phoenix Convention Center had ended.”

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams told reporters, “A very small number of individuals chose criminal conduct.” At one point some people tore down fencing that was designed to keep rival factions apart, leading officers to disperse “gas into and at the police officers,” Williams added. “They had their own gas they threw at police, not our gas.”

The Fox News report mentioned that the violence in Phoenix closely resembled other violence at pro-Trump venues caused by members of Antifa.

Officers really sprung into action after one of them was hit with a gas canister, according to a local reporter videoing the melee. “Officers were forced then at that time to really protect themselves, to protect the community, to protect property and they did so successfully and professionally,” Williams noted.

Speaking of police-related Antifa violence, as The Gateway Pundit noted, 23-year-old Lisa Joy Simon was arrested at an anti-Sharia protest in the Pennsylvania capital city of Harrisburg after allegedly hitting Sampson, a police horse, on the head with a board that contained a nail.

Local NBC affiliate WGAL reported that Simon was arrested and charged with assaulting the horse.

A spokeswoman for ACT for America told the Philly Metro that Simon was not with their group.

“Our people are normally very respectful of the police. I don’t think they would purposefully stab a police horse in the neck,” spokeswoman Carrie French said. “It really sounds out of character for our people. … Other reports have said she was with Antifa.”

In early July, Antifa members attacked Trump supporters and police officers, The Blaze reported, adding:

Local law enforcement stated that “a group of pro-POTUS [President of the United States] persons” were attempting to enter a bar at 16th and Cuthbert streets in Philadelphia, and were confronted by “a group of anti-POTUS persons and an altercation ensued.”

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department claimed that a pro-Trump demonstrator as well as a police officer were assaulted in the fray.

Three anti-Trump protesters were charged with assault.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheBlaze.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

Circa.com

NaturalNews.com