Restaurant attack may be battle over views on race

The men charged in an attack on a group of diners at a Tinley Park restaurant may be tied to conflicting views on race.

Prosecutors say the five Indiana men facing felony mob action and other charges assaulted the group because they believed they were associated with white supremacists.

Authorities say the five men were in a group of about 18 people wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks who stormed into the Ashford House in Tinley Park on Saturday. Authorities say they beat the diners with hammers and metal batons. Nobody suffered life-threatening injuries.

The incident has sparked a debate on the Internet, with anti-racism groups cheering the attack and white supremacist groups condemning it as an invasion by “cowardly left wing thugs.”