STORM WATCH

Snow showers and slippery conditions expected across LI into Saturday.

Angry confrontations between 'reopen' protesters, News 12's Kevin Vesey garner worldwide attention

Video of confrontations between News 12's Kevin Vesey and protesters in Commack has caught attention around the globe.

News 12 Staff

May 15, 2020, 8:10 PM

Updated 1,680 days ago

Share:

Video of confrontations between News 12's Kevin Vesey and protesters in Commack has caught attention around the globe.
The protest, organized by the right-wing group Setauket Patriots, brought hundreds to the Jericho Turnpike in support of reopening New York.
Several protesters angrily confronted Vesey while he broadcasted on Facebook Live, walking toward him, following him around and attempting to invade his personal space -- some while not wearing masks.
MORE: President Trump tweets about Kevin Vesey's confrontation with protesters, says 'FAKE NEWS IS NOT ESSENTIAL' 

VIDEO: Kevin Vesey breaks down the confrontation with protesters
Protesters donned pro-Trump and anti-Gov. Cuomo gear, and accused Vesey of being "fake news," among other things.
Shortly after the protest, the Setauket Patriots issued an apology after the reports garnered national attention online. A video posted to Vesey's Twitter account racked up 21,000 retweets and 66,000 likes.
Vesey also covered a previous protest weeks earlier. During one of Thursday's live reports, Vesey was approached two people who tried to interrupt an interview, asking him, "Why are you essential?" Vesey had interviewed one of them at the previous protest.
"You can see there's clearly a lot of anger here today," Vesey said on Facebook Live. "A lot of people think the coverage was unfair last time around. And that's fine. They can definitely feel that way."
Vesey's live reports garnered support from people worldwide, from fellow journalists, celebrities and elected officials.
 
Vesey says a majority of the people in attendance Thursday protested peacefully.