Quillette photojournalist Andy Ngo was covering a riot being conducted by Antifa thugs in Portland yesterday when he inadvertently became a major part of the story rather than simply documenting it. The violent mob was there “counter-protesting” an appearance by the Proud Boys, when several of the criminals decided to physically attack Ngo and steal his camera equipment, presumably to prevent him from possessing video proof of their illegal activities. Ngo was later taken to the emergency room to have his injuries tended to. (Reason)

Andy Ngo, a photojournalist and editor at Quillette, landed in the emergency room after a mob of antifa activists attacked him on the streets of Portland during a Saturday afternoon demonstration.

The assailants wore black clothing and masks, and were engaged in a counter-protest against several right-wing groups, including the Proud Boys. Ngo is a well-known chronicler of antifa activity, and has criticized their illiberal tactics on Fox News. He attended the protest in this capacity—as a journalist, covering a notable public event.

According to Ngo, his attacker stole his camera equipment. But video footage recorded by another journalist, The Oregonian’s Jim Ryan, clearly shows an antifa activist punching Ngo in the face.

Here’s the video Ngo streamed to Twitter shortly after the attack. You should be warned in advance that the visuals are disturbing.

https://t.co/B8Gh4KQxFS

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 29, 2019

And here is the video from the Oregonian mentioned in the Reason article. The same warning about disturbing content applies.

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

Of course, Antifa still has numerous defenders on the left, despite their long, thoroughly documented history of violence and illegal activity. Too many were making light of this attack, while some, like this writer from ThinkProgress, pretended the entire thing was fake.

Weird how I and about 100 other reporters were down covering the antifascist protest today and literally nothing happened to us. The narrative that protesters were attacking reporters is a blatant lie.

— Shane Burley (@shane_burley1) June 30, 2019

Our first question should be for the Portland Police Department. Where were the cops when all this was taking place? As soon as you get word that a mob of people clad in black with masks covering their faces have shown up and are heading for a showdown with the Proud Boys, how do you not call in every available officer and get them on the scene? This was an obvious Antifa mob and Portland has plenty of experience with them. Were they ordered to stand down or did they simply not take the threat seriously?

I’m not saying the Proud Boys have always covered themselves in glory, but going by the numerous bits of video footage available along with local reporting, the violence here was coming entirely from one side. This was an orchestrated, violent attack by Antifa yet again. As a reminder, people who are peacefully protesting and not intent on committing any crimes have no reason to cover their faces with bandanas. This is not a political protest. It’s violent, criminal activity and the police need to be on top of this sort of thing.

Best wishes for a full recovery to Andy Ngo. This assault on a reporter doing nothing more than silently recording a newsworthy event is inexcusable.