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Florida law banning interruption of lawful assembly never applied to Gary Snow by police

A Florida law that makes it a misdemeanor to interrupt or disturb a group of people lawfully assembling has never been applied to Gary Snow, despite disrupting just about every protest he’s gone to in the past year.

Many accuse Snow of provoking Friday night’s violence during a protest in Hemming Park.

Officers arrested six people in the park during a protest against President Donald Trump’s airstrike in Syria.

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Action News Jax’s video appears to show JSO officers tackling protester Connell Crooms, punching him while he flailed on the ground.

Officers also appeared to put an elderly man in a headlock and restrained a young woman on the ground after she struck at an officer’s face with her hand.

The man who many accuse of provoking the protesters, outspoken Pres. Donald Trump and law enforcement supporter Gary Snow, said he has “no regrets” about getting in protesters’ faces with a megaphone and flicking off Crooms.

Action News Jax asked Snow whether he interrupted or disturbed the protest, as described in this statute.

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“Oh no, I don’t feel like I did,” Snow said. “They have the right to be out there as much as I have the right to be out there.”

Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson disagrees, saying the statute should apply to this case.

“It applies. But it’s discretionary for officers to make arrests,” said Carson.

Drinking from a mug that says "liberal tears" and waving a Pres. Donald Trump flag, you’ve probably seen Snow on our news, or on social media before.

You may have also seen a video of Snow burning and shooting at a Pan-African flag.

“I regret making the video. Yeah. But, you know, this was me in my way of standing up to a symbol of racism,” said Snow. “They’re black nationalists, they’re black supremacists, you know? They’re racists.”

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Snow said accusations that he is a racist or white supremacist are untrue.

Before Snow moved to Jacksonville about a year ago, he lived in Chicago.

A photo from the Chicago Tribune shows Snow in a “shouting match” with a man protesting Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is accused of shooting Laquan McDonald.

Snow also started a Facebook page called Chicago Code Blue.

Snow went to JSO on Monday asking to file a report because strangers were threatening to come to his house on social media.

Action News Jax learned on Monday night that Snow pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement in 2008 in Indiana.

"I was young and stupid. I grew up," Snow said. "Having that resisting on my record just proves my point for suggesting what Connell should have done. I was speaking from my own experience.