Leader of far-right group accused of pepper-spraying protesters from car in Arizona

The leader of a far-right group in Arizona was accused of spraying abortion-rights protesters with pepper spray from her car, local media outlets reported.

There were roughly two dozen protesters demonstrating against the overturning of Roe v. Wade in Tempe on July 3, ABC 15 reported. Protesters told the outlet that things were peaceful until Jennifer Harrison, leader of the AZ Patriots, pulled up beside them.

According to a video shared by a protester, Harrison got into a confrontation with the crowd before pepper spray was used, Arizona Family reported.

Harrison later confirmed that she sprayed the crowd and told ABC 15 that she believed she “acted in self-defense.”

“I was well within my rights,” Harrison told the outlet. “Protesters converged on my vehicle as I was waiting at a red light. One of them aggressively walked up to my car window…and her hand entered my vehicle. So at that point, I was well within my rights to use non-lethal force.”

Harrison also referenced the incident afterward on social media, saying that “you can clearly see an assault against the passenger window and the stream of pepper spray deployed after the unprovoked attack,” the Arizona Republic reported.

But protester Faith Anne Penatzer told ABC 15 that “no one reached in her car.”

The Tempe Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News. But officers confirmed to Vice News that someone sprayed pepper spray from a vehicle into the crowd, and that officials from the police department and from Tempe Fire Medical responded to the incident and treated victims in the area.

At least four people were hit by the pepper spray, and one was taken to the hospital, Arizona’s Family reported. One video shows pepper spray being cleaned off a child’s face, according to the outlet.

Police told the outlet that Harrison’s car left the area before they arrived, and that the department will “continue to monitor, and hold involved parties accountable.”

Harrison has previously led protests against illegal immigration and has criticized government restrictions intended to control the spread of COVID-19, the Arizona Republic reported.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, members of the the AZ Patriots — including Harrison — split from the Patriot Movement Arizona in February 2019 and has “engaged in many of the same tactics as PMAZ, including harassing churches that shelter immigrants.”

The law center identifies the PMAZ as a hate group.

Arizona is one of many states where access to abortion is expected to become more restricted since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 24.

Arizonans seeking abortions already face numerous restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, including: patients must undergo counseling designed to discourage abortions, wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion, have an ultrasound, and receive permission from a parent if they’re under 18 years old.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law in March, saying that abortions would only be available to people 15 weeks pregnant or less. That bill is expected to become law 90 days after the end of the legislative session in June, or later this summer, according to the Arizona Republic.

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