Protester and MSNBC reporter clash on live TV over whether protests are just ‘a street festival’

MSNBC's Vaughn Hillyard was scolded by a protester on live TV while reporting from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle on Saturday

CHAZ is a roughly six-block area in Seattle that has been declared a police-free zone.

Hillyard was wrapping an interview with protesters and was preparing to hand coverage back to anchor Joshua Johnson when he said something that infuriated protesters.

"I think we have to throw it so Joshua. You know, this is a part of the conversation, Joshua, that we heard in the streets, the extent to which it has been peaceful since Monday, after more than a week of clashes between the demonstrators and the police. Now you see essentially -- almost like a street festival-type atmosphere, a street festival-type atmosphere --" Hillyard said, before being interrupted by a protester shouting, "No."

"With a very intentional purpose," Hillyard tried to finish.

"It is not a street festival," a male protester said.

"Do not say that. Shame on you for saying that," the protester said. "Learn right now, it is not a street festival."

At that point, a female protester added her thoughts.

"Do you know what our voices sound like from tear gas police attacked us with?" she asked. "You have to understand some traumatizing things happened here. All of us are suffering from PTSD in our own country, from our own country."

Johnson, the MSNBC anchor, chimed in.

"We do have to keep going and I want to just let him know we'll talk about this future of defunding the police but let him know we hear him loud and clear -- this is not a festival, this is a social movement," Johnson said. "But Vaughn, thank you for giving him room to speak his mind."

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