The man who attacked Massachusetts US senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai outside a town hall last month has been fined and placed on probation. He will also have to complete anger management classes.
In July, Paul Solovay, 74, of Hillsdale, New York, was caught on video attacking Ayyadurai, who reportedly chipped two of his teeth and suffered a bloody lip following the confrontation.
A video of the scuffle posted on YouTube shows Ayyadurai using his megaphone to question why townhall attendees won't engage in a "discourse on racism," when a man begins yelling back. The man is seen pushing Ayyadurai’s megaphone, which hit him on the face.
Following the incident, Ayyadurai released a statement saying the confrontation should be a wake-up call.
"The picture of a white man emblazoned with "liberal" on his t-shirt, punching and shoving a megaphone, down the throat of a black Indian man, because he disagreed with his viewpoint, should be a wake-up call," he said.
The candidate added: “We need discourse and free speech to discuss important issues such as race and racism, as Americans. For far too long in America, those claiming to fight racism, liberal or otherwise, have monopolized that discourse and have no right to use violence to suppress opposing views."
