For months, critics of milkshake-throwing – a trend that began in England – have warned that it will inevitably lead to escalation, as 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 protestors 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 programme. 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 the 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.