We posted on a pro-Palestinian rally that took place in LA a few weeks back, and there was a similar event in New York City in January. This video shows a credentialed photographer being harassed by event “security guards” (which are actually just civilians in neon vests) and knocked over the head by protesters with signs. The NYPD doesn’t seem to care either.
If you go to 7:07 of the video, a guard/thug starts grabbing the photographer and then forces him far away from the protesters. The guard/thug then lunges at the photographer for no apparent reason other than he’s a hot head on some sort of a retribution mission. NYPD are nowhere to be found. And when they do finally show up, they’re useless.
This is America. Times Square. The photographer has credentials. It’s a public rally. This shouldn’t be happening here. But what’s truly puzzling is that there doesn’t seem to be any downside to letting a photojournalist photograph your event. What are they so worried about?
boywithgrenade.org 
This man was assaulted, and then intimidating tactics were employed to prevent him from further recording the event. Whether he had press credentials or not is irrelevant to that point.
Some of these demonstrations in Europe have become violent and some in the U.S. haven’t been without incident; it feels as if rally participants were ready and willing to escalate. If so, then maybe they didn’t want their images recorded.
At the last one I observed in Denver, some participants seemed to be eyeing me with suspicion as I snapped away.