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If you were ever in any doubt that so-called anti-fascists are, in fact, fascists, take a look at this picture of my friend and colleague Andy Ngo:
In the ER. pic.twitter.com/spe5N4nzVl
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 29, 2019
A freelance journalist with bylines in Spectator USA and the National Review, Andy was covering an Antifa protest in his home town of Portland yesterday when he was set upon by a group of about 20 masked thugs. You can watch a video of the assault here:
First skirmish I’ve seen. Didn’t see how this started, but @MrAndyNgo got roughed up. pic.twitter.com/hDkfQchRhG
— Jim Ryan (@Jimryan015) June 29, 2019
The reason Andy was targeted is because the outlets he writes for, including Quillette where we both work as editors, frequently challenge hard-left dogma. Andy is best known for the investigative work he has done exposing hate crimes hoaxes, such as the Jussie Smollett incident, but he’s also filmed criminal acts by Antifa activists in Portland, including violent assaults, and posted them on Twitter, thereby earning the group’s lifelong enmity. He and his family have been doxxed numerous times, with activists publicizing his home address on social media.
In the attack, Andy received cuts and bruises to his face and head, including a torn earlobe, and had thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment smashed or stolen. He was taken to the local hospital, where it was discovered he had a small bleed to his brain and, as a result, he was kept in overnight. His friend Michelle Malkin has set up a Gofundme page where well-wishers can make donations to pay for additional security, his medical needs and to replace his camera equipment.
The protest in Portland last night was billed by the organizers as ‘milkshake themed’ and one of the most sinister aspects of the attack is that milkshakes thrown at the event contained quick-drying cement, a chemical substance that can cause serious harm, including severe burns.
For months, critics of milkshake-throwing – a trend that began in England – have warned that it will inevitably lead to escalation, while left-wing journalists like David Aaronovitch have defended the practice. Earlier this month, the comedian and Women’s Equality Party supporter Jo Brand joked about protesters who’d thrown milkshakes at Ukip and Brexit Party candidates in the European Election. ‘Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?’ she said on a BBC Radio 4 comedy program. This led to no disciplinary action by the BBC, even though it immediately sacked the Radio 5 Live presenter Danny Baker for making an inappropriate joke the month before. On the contrary, the BBC came to her defense.
But the real enablers here are the politicians and journalists who’ve championed Antifa, such as the CNN presenter Chris Cuomo, as well as the Portland authorities who have consistently turned a blind eye to the criminal behavior of the group. Indeed, Andy himself was assaulted by an Antifa activist at his gym last month and the Portland Police took no action. And he was punched in the stomach while covering an Antifa May Day protest in Portland while a police officer stood by and did nothing.
Let’s hope this sickening attack finally shames the Portland authorities into taking action against the group. Beating up a journalist because he or she criticizes your political ideology is what the Nazi party did in Germany in the 1930s. Andy is a gay person of color (he’s half-Vietnamese) and if a group of right-wing thugs assaulted a left-wing journalist who ticked the same demographic boxes the mainstream media would be clamoring for justice and every Democratic presidential contender would raise the incident in the forthcoming debates. As the conservative journalist Rod Dreher wrote, ‘One gets the impression that Antifa rules Portland with the same impunity that the Ku Klux Klan ruled Birmingham in the 1960s. Do they actually have police in Portland? Do they have functioning government there?’ We are about to find out.
In the meantime, consider donating to Andy’s GoFundMe page. At the time of writing, more than 2,000 people had already done so, raising $72,000 in less than 24 hours.
