A man accused of being a neo-Nazi who was punched in the face mid-interview in Washington DC on Friday (local time) has decried the assault as a "really terrible thing".
Richard Spencer is a white supremacist who has previously advocated for "peaceful ethnic cleansing".
Video posted online of Mr Spencer speaking at around 2:30pm on Friday, after US President Donald Trump's inauguration, sees him denying he was a neo-Nazi and when asked if he liked black people, he replied: "Yeah, sure."
He proceeded to explain the symbolism of a badge he had of Pepe the Frog, a meme co-opted by white supremacists, before a person wearing a dark hoodie walked up and punched him in the face.
Mr Spencer denounced the assault in a 10-minute live video on Twitter, calling it a "really terrible thing".
He says he had been interviewed for a documentary by a group called Stateless Media and they came across a "serious demonstration", where he was recognised.
He was mid-interview with an Australian media company when he says the person punched him "with all his might".
"He came out of nowhere, sucker-punched me on my ear. He didn't knock me out; he didn't knock me down," Mr Spencer says.
It was the second time he had been punched by the unknown person in a short period of time. Mr Spencer says the person had approached him earlier and punched him but "it didn't really land and it didn't hurt that much".
He says he's now considering getting security after the "cowardly" assaults.
Late last year Mr Spencer gained notoriety after he was seen saluting Mr Trump and shouting "heil Trump" at a conference in Washington DC.
Newshub.
