Portland-based independent journalist Andy Ngo has extensively reported on the far-left extremist group called Antifa and long cautioned that violent acts that have occurred in some sections of America could be easily replicated, but he says media on both sides of the political spectrum failed to take him seriously.
“The left-wing media, liberal media, establishment media, legacy media, has many sympathies toward the Antifa goal. The superficial resistance against the Trump administration, against conservatism, against the GOP, they have that in common with them,” Ngo told Fox News. “Liberal ignorance of what and who Antifa actually are and their history.”
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Ngo feels a lot of the mainstream media gives Antifa -- the movement that stands for "antifascist" -- favorable coverage and downplays acts of violence committed by the group, while conservative media has ignored warnings about the group for completely different reasons.
Portland-based independent journalist Andy Ngo has extensively reported on the far-left, extremist group called Antifa.
“Right-wing media, they did pay attention, at times, but it seems like they paid attention to it because it was a sensational story, seeing people being so violent. When I say that they didn’t take it seriously, there was no evaluation or deep analysis of why this is happening or why this is continuing to happen,” Ngo said. “These radicals are not held accountable.”
Ngo said that most Antifa members are never even identified when they commit violent acts because the journalists who do cover it typically focus on viral clips, as opposed to exploring the heart of the matter.
The protests surrounding the death of George Floyd have put a newfound spotlight on Antifa, as peaceful protests turned into riots in major American cities.
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Ngo said that some Antifa members might actually care about Floyd but its hardly the only reason why they’ve taken to the streets in recent days, as they simply take advantage of whatever gives them an excuse to cause havoc.
“People generally get attached to stories and narratives and George Floyd’s death being caught on camera makes people very emotional. It superficially caused them to come out, but I’ve always maintained that they can have a reason or no reason to riot. It doesn’t really matter,” Ngo said, noting everything from the 2016 election to random American flag celebrations have sparked Antifa violence.
“The narrative changes every time, the goal post is constantly shifting,” he said. “Using whatever opportunities where they can embed themselves in a much larger demonstration, to sort of shield themselves behind other bodies, so it’s more easy for them to carry out rioting and violence.”
The collection of autonomous Antifa groups that began in mostly liberal cities sees itself as a descendant of the European anti-Nazi movements, and generally agree that the best way to combat ideas they find odious is not through speech or debate but by direct action and physical confrontation.
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If anyone knows about the violence Antifa is capable of carrying out, it’s Ngo.
In June 2019, he became a victim of Antifa himself, as he reported on a demonstration organized by the "Proud Boys" and the "#HimToo Movement." Antifa showed up to stage a counterprotest and things turned ugly.
Prior to the event, Ngo voiced his concern over a tweet sent by Rose City Antifa, which is recognized as the oldest Antifa group in the U.S. and identified him as a supposed right-wing sympathizer.
PORTLAND, OR - JUNE 29: Andy Ngo, a Portland-based journalist, is seen covered in unknown substance after unidentified Rose City Antifa members attacked him on June 29, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Moriah Ratner/Getty Images)
During the demonstration, Ngo documented a group of Antifa members who appeared to be shadowing his movements. Then in an instant, he became the focus of a violent crowd.
Ngo was beaten and his GoPro was stolen. As a result of his injuries, he was hospitalized for 30 hours, as doctors monitored a brain hemorrhage. He said he continues to receive physical, emotional and cognitive therapy as a result of the attack but hasn’t stopped documenting the group and is working on a book titled, “Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy.”
Along the way, Ngo has criticized CNN for being sympathetic to Antifa, but says he didn’t bother watching cable news coverage this time around.
“It’s citizen journalists and even other protestors themselves reporting this video that really kind of demonstrating the shocking stuff we’re seeing on social media,” he said. “That’s the stuff I’m paying attention to because that’s what I do.”
Antifa protesters at a rally. (Mark Graves/The Oregonian/via AP)
While Ngo feels that the media failed to take Antifa seriously prior to the chaos sparked by Floyd’s death, he doesn’t think riots in major American cities will do anything to open eyes – especially since President Trump made preliminary statements about designating the group as a terrorist group.
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“Anything that Trump is for, the media is against,” Ngo said, pointing to a recent Washington Post column headlined “Antifa isn’t the problem” as an example.
“That’s just propaganda and we’re going to get more of that from legacy media,” he said. “There is going to be a hell of a lot of gaslighting.”
Antifa members and counter protesters gather during a rightwing No-To-Marxism rally on August 27, 2017 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Berkeley, California. / AFP PHOTO / Amy Osborne (Photo credit should read AMY OSBORNE/AFP/Getty Images)
Until recently, Ngo was on the fence about whether or not Antifa should be labeled a terrorist group, as he believes in the First Amendment and feels “extremist ideas” should be allowed – but he’s come around to the idea.
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“It’s time to label it a terrorist organization because, this is something I was ignorant about, but it does open up a whole bunch of legal avenues to make it much harder for these domestic Antifa cells and networks to organize, at least openly,” Ngo said. “It would cut off their access to a lot of financial institutions.”
One of the things that changed Ngo’s mind is the way Antifa members have essentially crowd-funded their bail after being arrested for violent protests.
“It’s really shocking to me that, like, millions and millions of dollars can go toward bailing people out who are arrested for such wicked acts are carried out,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Antifa certainly doesn’t support President Trump but Ngo doesn’t think things will change much regardless of the 2020 election.
“They saw Bernie Sanders as the one candidate they were willing to support… he was sidelined for the nomination. They don’t hide their hatred of Democrats,” Ngo said. “They’ve spray painted ‘liberals get the bullet too,’ and they absolutely mean it. Democrats, even if they don’t admit it, are trying to uphold the establishment.”
Fox News Gregg Re and Matt London contributed to this report.