Video: Alt-right protester choked out for waving meme signs at Sam Houston monument protest The protester was waving signs containing popular alt-right memes, such as Pepe the Frog before being attacked

An image from an altercation during a demonstration supporting the Sam Houston statue in Houston's Hermann Park on Saturday, June 10, 2017. (Screenshot from YouTube) An image from an altercation during a demonstration supporting the Sam Houston statue in Houston's Hermann Park on Saturday, June 10, 2017. (Screenshot from YouTube) Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Video: Alt-right protester choked out for waving meme signs at Sam Houston monument protest 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

A bystander video appears to show an armed man place a demonstrator with Nazi symbols in a choke hold at Saturday's gathering to support the statue of Sam Houston in the city's Hermann Park after apparently fake calls for its removal because Houston owned slaves.

The video, which appears to show a choke hold lasting about five seconds, was posted to YouTube by an apparent anti-Semitic account supportive of the "alt-right," a loose political affiliation that often blends racism, white nationalism and populism.

The person who posted the video labeled the altercation as "Latino Oath Keeper Chokes Alt-Right White Nationalist In Houston Texas."

(WARNING: Video contains graphic language.)

The man who was choked had been carrying a megaphone, signs with alt-right images such as "Pepe the Frog" and a flag that combined elements of the American flag with Nazi symbols such as the sonnenrad, which the Anti-Defamation League says was used by Adolf Hitler's Nazi party as well his stomtroopers in the SA and SS. Today the symbol is popular with white supremacists, according to the ADL, an anti-hate organization founded in 1913.

In the seconds before the altercation, he defended his presence against a gathering angry crowd.

"These are good memes," he said, holding up his signs that featured "Pepe the Frog" imagery as well as a Star of David.

"Dude, this is not Comicon," another man yelled, referring to a convention of comics-lovers.

"I know, what is it?" the alt-right supporter asked rhetorically. "I thought I was just coming to make friends."

SAM HOUSTON PROTEST: Gun-carrying protesters, some waving Confederate flags, rally in Hermann Park

The account that posted the video labeled the man who choked the alt-right supporter as an Oath Keeper. The Oath Keepers - whose members often show up heavily armed at tense protests, purportedly to prevent dictatorship - is "one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks radical groups.

The alt-right supporter soon was escorted out of the demonstration, walking toward the police line as demonstrators chanted, "Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye."

The Houston Police Department did not make any arrests or issue any citations at the protest, spokesman Victor Senties said Monday. Police were not aware of the altercation until a reporter asked about the video Monday.

"We were not made aware of the choke hold incident," Senties said. Officers met the man at the police line as he was escorted out, but the man did not mention an assault or ask to file a complaint.

If the victim wanted, police could start an investigation that ultimately could lead to criminal charges, but the spokesman said that can only happen with the victim's cooperation.

"You've got to have a complainant," he said.

There was a heavy police presence throughout the event, the Chronicle previously reported.

"We work very closely with organizers regardless of what the issue may be, no matter what their objectives are," Chief Art Acevedo said Saturday at the demonstration. "We want to make sure that people work with us and we work with them and let them accomplish their goal, which is to express their views."

READ MORE: Hoax Texas group calls for removal of iconic Houston statue

Carrying Texas and Confederate flags, participants seemed concerned the park's Sam Houston statue might be removed because the historical figure owned slaves.

"Erasing history for the sake of political correctness or to make somebody feel better, it's not just stupid — it's dangerous," said David Amad, an organizer of the demonstration.

The group wants others to understand Sam Houston's contribution to Texas history. The demonstration was organized after rumors spread that a group called Texas Antifa was planning to show up to advocate removing the statue from the park.

READ MORE: It's easy to take down a statue. It's harder to understand Sam Houston, a biographer writes.

But the group, This is Texas, was left advocating for a cause without the other side present. The anticipated anti-Sam Houston protesters were no-shows at Hermann Park. Throughout the week, media reports swirled that Saturday's protest advocating the statue's removal was fake.

Houston Antifa, a local chapter of the International Antifascist/Antiracist organization ANTIFA, called Texas Antifa fake and "alt-right trolls trying to use hot button issues to drum up ire," in a Facebook message.

