So the latest news is that a New York gallery-owner, Jalangir Turan, was assaulted by a thug or group of thugs, identified as "teens" in some reports, for his wearing a red MAGA hat. Here is the video:

Are we entering a period of political violence? A time when thugs aligned either with governments or embittered out-of-power revanchists determine the political discourse? You'd think all political parties would be right there to condemn violent thuggery in place of what they supposedly stand for, which is peaceful democratic transitions.

The New York Post has signaled some skepticism about the man's story, putting the word "claims" in its headline and noting that the original police report didn't have a note about a MAGA hat, and the report said the attacker was a single person, not a group of teens. The man also declined medical treatment at the scene of the crime. The Post began like this:

A man claimed he was attacked by a group of teenagers in Lower Manhattan because he was wearing a MAGA hat, according to reports. Jahangir Turan, 42, told CBS New York he was walking on Canal Street near Greene Street shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday while wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat when he was roughed up by more than a dozen teens, who cursed at him as they confronted him. The kids shouted "F--- Trump" during the attack, according to Fox 5 NY. Turan, who bought the hat earlier that day, said he suffered a broken cheekbone and a black eye. "I love President Trump. I think he's doing a great job," the alleged victim told Fox. "It's sad to get beat up for wearing this hat. This is America."

The Post's skepticism, while usually proper for a news agency, does not necessarily mean it didn't happen as the man said it did.

One, it's quite frequent that victims of violent crimes, still in shock and denial over what happened, underestimate their injuries. The man's obvious injuries in the video would certainly show that.

Two, the police report, possibly done up by Bill de Blasio's loyalists, may have repressed that little detail about the MAGA hat and the reported anti-Trump shouts of the thugs or else thought it unimportant. It's possible the problem was the report, not the man's claims.

Third, the questions about the number of assailants can quite possibly be a muddling of facts in the heat of an attack — the man said the whole thing happened very quickly.

There's still plenty of possibility that he's telling the truth here. The GOP seems to think he is.

Even if he isn't, there have been plenty of other cases where MAGA hat–wearers have been assaulted for their political views. There were the nasty attacks on Trump supporters back when Trump was running for president in 2016. There was the kid in the Texas restaurant. There was the brutal Antifa assault on the conservative journalist Andy Ngo in Oregon — like the gallery-owner, Ngo is Asian-American. Here is one list of links compiled by people who say they are keeping track. The list is lengthening.

The GOP, to its credit, has blasted the attack. Ronna McDaniel, the chief of the Republican Party, tweeted this:

The disgusting attacks on @realDonaldTrump supporters have gone on for far too long.



Every Democrat needs to denounce this. https://t.co/wWh5eZSD46 — Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 2, 2019

Don Trump, Jr., who lives in New York, weighed in rightly, too:

Truly sickening. I hope the NYPD is able to catch the scum that did this.



Owner of NYC Art Gallery on Billionaire’s Row Claims Group Attacked Him for Wearing MAGA Hat https://t.co/4yGS9RfIUT — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 2, 2019

You sure hope young Trump has some decent security, too.

And the Democrats? So far, nothing. Where's Bill de Blasio? Oh, wait: the mayor of New York has already made himself clear: President Trump is not welcome in "his" city.

If anything, the former Sandalista and admirer of Fidel Castro who now wants to be U.S. president is aligned with people who govern by thuggery, who practice this kind of violence. The Sandinistas and Castroites de Blasio adores are famous for their "turbas" — the government-aligned mobs who assault government opponents. Those are de Blasio's people.

Funny how the latest violent incident happened in New York. Where's Bill de Blasio to condemn this kind of brutality? Where indeed are all the Democrats?