CLAIM: Martin Gugino 'trained' Verizon union strikers how to fall backwards

ACTION ALERT: Sign RAIR’s Petition in Support of Buffalo Police Officers McCabe and Torgalski

Long-time hard left agitator Martin Gugino allegedly trained striking Verizon employees how to fall backwards if they were “bumped by a car,” according to a Facebook post forwarded to RAIR Foundation USA. Additionally, Gugino spoke to fellow protestors without a mask the same day he appears to have expressed concern about having the coronavirus himself.

Gugino, 75, gained international attention after falling backwards in the wake of being shoved by an officer from an elite police unit attempting to thwart a Black Lives Matter riot at Niagara Square in Buffalo, New York on Thursday, June 4, 2020. Gugino ignored multiple requests to clear the area and approached the officers while oddly waving his phone as reported at RAIR Foundation USA. The incident, documented by a widely shared video, sparked widespread condemnation toward police officers who were subsequently charged with felony assault and suspended from their jobs without pay.

The Helmet, Explained

Martin Gugino appears to have been worried that he might have the coronavirus, according to a Twitter post he made on the same day of the protest in Buffalo, where he was filmed without a mask speaking with fellow demonstrators on June 4, 2020.

Gugino also explains in his tweet that “a helmet with a clear face” would “counteract the background rate,” or rate of people who would get the coronavirus.

Interestingly, he also says “[M]y cough is a worry,” which leads one to assume he is referring to potentially having the coronavirus himself.

As reported at RAIR Foundation USA, Gugino had a tense moment with other protesters before he approached police. This screenshot shows that Gugino is carrying “a helmet with a clear face” and is not wearing his mask as he interacts with others:

At some point, Gugino did put on a mask before he approached police officers. Here is an image of Gugino on the ground after he fell.

Alleged Verizon Strike Training in Buffalo

According to a communication on social media acquired by RAIR, Martin Gugino trained striking Verizon employees how to fall backwards if they were “bumped by a car.” In April 2016, Verizon employees went on strike in Buffalo and elsewhere. According to In These Times, the magazine of America’s largest Marxist organization, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA):

The strike began on April 13, when 40,000 Verizon landline workers, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), walked out after nine months of contentious and fruitless contract negotiations. 

RAIR readers should know that CWA is closely allied with DSA and is, in fact, a “sponsor” of DSA’s Marxist magazine “In These Times.”

“Gugino trained us to do this when we were on strike with Verizon if we were bumped by a car,” an individual claimed. “He [Gugino] explained you take two steps back and then drop and absorb with your back.” Other commenters on the post expressed concerns with the revelation. “Have you told authorities that,” one asked. “You should really tell authorities,” said another. “What you have knowledge of could save two cops careers…” Another said, “I sure hope you and other Verizon employees will come forward to testify for these police officers and for our President who is taking massive abuse for his tweet.”

President Trump tweeted in part that Martin Gugino “could be an ANTIFA provocateur.”

The individual responded, “I think they already know this guy was engaged in this kind of stuff. It’s not difficult to figure out.” RAIR Foundation USA is protecting the names of the individuals involved in the online discussion for their protection from the rage mob and with the hope that others will come forward.

This information has been provided, with names, to the Buffalo Police Department:

Far from being a passive protestor, Martin Gugino is also a Black Lives Matter activist who traveled to Cleveland to meet with the parents of Tamir Rice, 12, who was shot by police after he refused to drop what appeared to be a real gun, but later turned out to be a replica toy Airsoft gun.

Gugino is a member of radical leftist organizations such as the Catholic Worker movement, the “People United for Sustainable Housing” (PUSH Buffalo), and the Western New York Peace Center. According to his personal website, he has been arrested four times for protest-related activities.

ACTION ALERT: Sign RAIR’s Petition in Support of Buffalo Police Officers McCabe and Torgalski