If anyone knows how the militant left-wing group Antifa operates, it’s independent journalist Andy Ngo, who has spent years tracking and documenting their movements and actions, oftentimes risking his personal safety in the process.
In the summer of 2019, Ngo was covering a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, when he was violently assaulted, allegedly by members of Antifa, in attacks that were caught on tape.
As you can see from the below video, his attackers were wearing typical Antifa attire, with coverings on their faces to shield themselves from being able to be definitively identified:
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
Ngo sustained multiple injuries, including a black eye and a brain hemorrhage during those assaults, but unfortunately, Antifa only continued their threats and attacks on Ngo for the crime of exposing just who and what they are:
In 2020, Andy Ngo filed a lawsuit in Portland, Oregon claiming assault and other injuries by alleged members of Antifa.
These violent attacks were caught on camera/video. pic.twitter.com/Pgd8AD9nOB
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023
On July 31st, the civil trial began for two of the numerous Antifa members Ngo sued on grounds they were liable for some of his assaults. Unfortunately for Ngo, alleged Antifa members John Colin Hacker and Elizabeth Renee Richter were found not liable by the jury in the case:
Ngo filed a complaint in Portland, Oregon in 2020, claiming assault and other injuries over alleged acts of violence carried out by members of Antifa, which began in 2019. Defandants John Colin Hacker and Elizabeth Renee Richter have been accused by Senior Editor of Post Millennial Andy Ngo of assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, which was argued before a civil jury for more than a week at the Multnomah County Courthouse.
Defendants Hacker and Richter, who allegedly work as Antifa’s “doxxers,” which after identifying Ngo had led to a series of physical beatings on May 28, 2021, were found by the jury on Tuesday not liable for all of these claims. Evidence provided during the trial, along with testimony given by both defendants, asserts Ngo’s claims in the complaint.
As The Post Millennial also reported, things got wild during closing arguments, with one of the defense’s attorneys announcing to the jury, “I am Antifa” and telling them she would “remember” their faces:
During closing statements, defense lawyer Michelle Burrows told the jurors that not only does she self-identify as both a progressive and an “anti-fascist,” she strongly declared, “I am Antifa” and insisted upon making herself an “I am Antifa” t-shirt, which she said she would wear after the trial. Despite Antifa’s significant recorded history of violence, she told the jury that Antifa’s unfavorable reputation is untrue and depicted the organized militant group as activists fighting for social justice and civil rights.
Equally disturbing was how the judge in the case, Chanpone Sinlapasai, “informed the court that the trial’s jurors have raised concerns about being ‘doxed,’ and claimed that people have been trying to find out their identities.”
And as if the level of Antifa’s depravity wasn’t obvious enough, not only was TPM’s reporter, Katie Daviscourt, allegedly filmed by Antifa as she covered the trial, but her vehicle was heavily vandalized:
BREAKING: After I left the courthouse where I was reporting on @MrAndyNgo’s trial against Antifa, I found that my car was broken into by my hotel.
The windows were busted out, items were stolen, and personal identification documents were taken—I’m obviously upset. pic.twitter.com/hDSwotOTer
— Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) August 9, 2023
Chelly Bouferrache, a photojournalist who is very familiar with Antifa’s disturbing history and who was also covering the trial, was eventually barred from being able to do her job by the judge after an alleged member of Antifa claimed Bouferrache was not a real member of the media because she was a freelancer.
Also, there is currently a freelancer taking photos of @MrAndyNgo’s trial after I was excluded from taking photos for the @TPostMillennial as a freelancer. The judge ruled that if you are a freelancer you may not take photos. Why is this being allowed?
— HoneyBadgerMom (@hunnybadgermom) August 2, 2023
Attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon, who, along with fellow attorneys Greg Michael and Dorothy Yamamoto, has represented Ngo throughout this process, issued the following statement after the verdict was announced:
When we started @Liberty_Ctr to stand up for the first amendment and other civil rights of clients who would otherwise have gone unrepresented, @MrAndyNgo’s case was the first one we took. Antifa thugs had repeatedly used violence in Portland to intimidate and silence journalists and ordinary citizens, including Andy. But Andy would NOT be silenced. Though we lost against these two defendants today, we won a settlement with one of the individual defendants, and took the defaults of three of them who failed to show up for court.
It is a tremendous honor to stand up for what’s right in court throughout my law career. I’m very proud to have worked with Greg Michael and Dorothy Yamamoto, who started working on this case at my law firm and continued it when they formed their own practice. They took this case to trial and did a tremendous job. We all know as trial lawyers that in the end, the result is not in our hands, but in the hands of a judge and jury. They put on a great case, and Andy is an incredibly brave client who persevered for four years when many would have given up, changed their profession, or let the violent thugs win without challenge.
We are evaluating the next steps in this case, but hear this: I will not stand by idly while violent criminals seek to silence American journalists, and this is but one stop in a long journey. Thank you to all the people who contributed to Andy’s legal fund, and who made this case possible up to this point.
Proud of you, @MrAndyNgo!
Ngo said in a tweet that, “I am considering my legal options.”
As always, stay tuned.
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