I guess I’m supposed to issue a disclaimer when I use material from right-wing sites, but not from left-wing ones. However, we should judge material on its credibility, not its source. So here’s a report from the right-wing site RedState that happens to comport with stuff I’ve heard from other sites and other people (click on screenshot). To wit, a Seattle cop told a reporter to vamoose because, when filming Antifa protestors, he was deemed likely to “incite trouble.” Give me a break!
The reason this is credible to those who question reports from conservative sites is that the reporter is Andy Ngo, an independent photographer and journalist who writes and publishes videos on Quillette and other sites about the suppression of free speech in Portland. I’ve never had reason to question his credibility, and he’s non-confrontational. He shows up to film stuff. And in Portland and Seattle, the epicenters of Antifa, Ngo has documented lots of demonstrations and censorious actions by outraged Leftists. Here’s one in which Antifa shows up to “shut down” a demonstration by the Three Percenters, a group of militant, anti-government Righties (no, I don’t support them!). The RedState report, larded with tweets from Ngo, was put up December 2:
Yesterday, a group called the Three Percenters had a permit for a rally in Seattle. They were met by the antifa who didn’t bother to obtain a permit, though the police don’t really seem to care.
Ngo was recognized (Antifa hates him since he films their shenanigans). And then this happened:
Today, around 150 self-described anti-fascists protested a downtown Seattle rally by the Washington State 3 Percent, a conservative group that calls itself constitutionalist. Antifa proudly displayed the red flag of communism on their side. pic.twitter.com/5xLVWlpKgW
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 2, 2018
More quotes referring to what’s below; be sure to watch all the videos.
There are two interesting things that happen in this segment. First, Ngo is headed off by two antifa carrying what appear to be some civilian knockoff of the M-4 and they tell him they will not let him pass. Then a cop intervenes and tells them to let Ngo through. The cop is less than six feet from the armed antifa, he seemingly heard them tell Ngo he couldn’t pass but somehow the blocking of passage on a sidewalk and the possession of a pair of semi-automatic rifles are never linked into one act.
Then the situation starts to deteriorate for Ngo:
They surrounded me, and on cue, all of them took out their cameras to record. They pushed me and followed me when I tried to leave the area I was boxed in. One @SeattlePD officer tried to stand up for me. pic.twitter.com/ghJXoNQOqm
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 2, 2018
These protestors are insane. It’s not helped by the law allowing them to carry intimidating guns, a “right” they take full advantage of.
The second tweet below is the one that disturbs me. As Ngo reports, a Seattle Police officer tries to get Ngo, who is acting purely as a reporter, to leave the scene as he was causing conflict. In other words, the police are protecting antifa from being reported on. The Police says that Ngo has a right to protest, but not to report, for reporting incites conflict. Of course it does: Antifa has a long history of trying to prevent themselves being filmed or identified (that’s why they wear masks—a sure sign that their protests are not “civil disobedience” but are likely to turn violent).
Now some of the cops were fine, and I’m impressed by their calmness in the face of these riled-up demonstrators. But one of them abnegates his duty to expel a reporter. That guy should be given a talking-to:
This was a surreal moment: @SeattlePD officer came up and said I was "inciting conflict" and potential violence just by being there. If my physical presence in a public space makes someone else want to become violent, the problem is not with me. pic.twitter.com/08wM5KXwx0
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 2, 2018
The article shows another tweet in which a Leftist protestor asks Ngo if he’s willing to “die for YouTube”, which of course is a veiled threat.
It’s reprehensible for a police officer to protect the masked thugs and order a journalist off the street. That’s a violation of Ngo’s First Amendment rights. As RedState notes, and I agree:
Sort of amazing, really. The Seattle PD had zero problem with armed people showing up for an un-permitted protest. They had zero problem with a sidewalk being obstructed or a journalist being rather unambiguously threatened. And rather than enforce the law, they told a guy engaging in Constitutionally protected behavior–covering this illegal demonstration as a journalist–that he was the problem.
Counterprotests are fine; threatening journalists and carrying guns at demonstrations, well, I’m not down with that. And aren’t the antifascists really fascists themselves?
h/t: cesar
Well let’s see now, carrying guns, wearing face masks to disguise their identity, threatening people, physically manhandling people, trying to shut down journalists, trying to shut down any speech they don’t like … I think the answer is “yes”.
The idea that these morons are “anti-fascists” is ridiculous on the face of it. The whole concept of applying a left-right model in this sort conflict is badly out of date. These people are authoritarian. Period. Full stop.
Its kind of a variant of McLuhan’s “The medium is the message” idea. When the medium is intimidation and violence it makes no different which brand of asshole is performing it, or what mental gymnastics they have performed to rationalize it in their spoiled child minds. They are all the same person.
These people and and the baying fools at a Klan rally are cut from precisely the the same cloth. This lot simply don’t have a sufficiently accommodating social milieu for their version of lynching yet. Pretending that murderous authoritarianism is in any way, shape, or form more rooted in right than left is delusional.
Exactly. Those on the far left and far right are both authoritarian. Being authoritarian for the “right” reason does not make it okay. Those on the far right think the things they want are “right” too.
Any person or entity that advocates the shutting down of legitimate journalism are the one/s with the problem. The freedom of journalists to do their job is a crucial part of a free society.
So do I.
Let’s not forget that Antifa goes back to the red thugs who fought the brown thugs in Berlin in the 20s and early 30s. They are all thugs.
Ultimately, fascism is the politics of “us vs. them”…this was on full display here. Though I did see more faces than masks.
There are at least two reasons for wearing masks. Authorities generally claim it is done to prevent identification of law breakers. Activists say they want to prevent identification by political enemies (who really are typically violent groups, in their own right, made invisible). As a matter of fact, doxing and sharing names and addresses of political enemies is a tactic used by extremist fringes.
Generally, in Europe, registered demonstration curb some rights by others temporarily, which is normal and plausible. If you allow people to momentarily march down the street, some people have to momentarily accept that they can’t use the street as usual. The state recognizes a right to march in demos, but it also knows that the situation may be fragile and dangerous. Groups can become violent on their own, but can also be provoked into violence by instigators. Organizers generally don’t want violence, because it’s defeating the purpose of the demo, as the media will readily report on violence, but not on what the demo was about. The state also doesn’t want violence, but wants to keep order and get over with it as smoothly as possible. That’s why police is generally protecting the march, and in case of doubt, remove external people who may cause trouble.
When the far right, i.e. neo fascists, do a demonstration march, which is legally allowed also in Europe, then the police is always, predictably, accused of being in cahoots with them, because they appear to shield and protect that odious march. This view is simply false.
Taking this as a baseline, and the vast over-representation of Antifa in US right wing media, it look like a manufactuversy, again. The purpose is to feed the right wing pressure cooker of perceived threat and the end of the West. In reality, the Far Right leads the charts in domestic terrorism, and street violence, in part because its followers have been riled up by such fake news and quasi fake news non-stories, designed to keep Antifa in the news, while there is never a peep on Patriots, Ultras or Proud Boys and the likes.
I forgot. It’s not a crime to march in a demo, but it can still cause the state intelligence to dig into that participant’s privacy, which is another reason to disguise the identity.
The report by Mr. Ngo does not look like fake news.
The “quasi fake news” is that there’s always a knife fight in Los Angeles somewhere, which is nothing new or unusual, but which through intensive reporting is made seem as an epidemic or existential threat, as if everyone, everywhere, might be sliced up any moment they are outside. Right Wingers are constantly scared and yet like addicts can’t tune to another channel, but listen to professional scaremongers who poison their minds.
We Germans have great words. This one is creating a “Drohkulisse” literally a “threat theatre backdrop” (or film set); a “threat scenario” that makes people afraid and which is the reason for documenting everything Antifa does. They go outside somewhere, and one of the far right wingers is already there documenting their every move, either for a “social justice warrior” cringe compilation (to laugh at), or to be afraid.
It’s real, and unreal at once. The woke do it as well, every time someone receives a harsh word on twitter, it’s “harassment”.
Entire tribes are addicted to these stories. All I say, careful there. Maybe it’s a non-event that’s only in the news because to build that threatening backdrop.
Very well put. Drohkulisse, manufactuversy, fearmongering. There’s a market for all of them.
What’s the German word for “useful idiots”?
That would be Mitläufer (no, not really, but not entirely unrelated) 😉
That’s very well put Aneris. I like the term “manufactuversy”!
It still disappoints me when otherwise well intentioned people get taken in by this sort of thing. We’ll soon be back to talking about Hillary’s emails at this rate…
Aneris, in the UK at least, contrary to your claim, the problem that “right wing” demonstrators have is that the police will heavily control them while conceding ground to the Antifa “counter-protestors”. The police have been known to try very hard to provoke peaceful demonstrators.
As for the media misrepresenting the extent of Antifa violence, the bulk of the media have very blatantly refused to report on the nature and extent of Antifa violence while seizing on any instance of violence from the right. It is a problem afflicting those demonstrating on behalf of any cause opposed by regressives. The media will outright lie about the size of the demo, the numbers involved, the affiliations and beliefs of the participants and the extent and cause of any trouble.
Aneris, in the UK at least, contrary to your claim, the problem that “right wing” demonstrators have is that the police will heavily control them while conceding ground to the Antifa “counter-protestors”. The police have been known to try very hard to provoke peaceful demonstrators.
As for the media misrepresenting the extent of Antifa violence, the bulk of the media have very blatantly refused to report on the nature and extent of Antifa violence while seizing on any instance of violence from the right. It is a problem afflicting those demonstrating on behalf of any cause opposed by regressives. The media will outright lie about the size of the demo, the numbers involved, the affiliations and beliefs of the participants and the extent and cause of any trouble.
I don’t know about the UK, and wouldn’t know what constitute good sources. What I can say, and I’ve looked at a few tables from government sources in the US and Germany, that Right Wing violence is leading the charts without contest, including deaths, followed by Islamic extremism. Antifa groups are tiny fish, who have made headlines for slashing tires, or throwing rocks at somebody.
Left Wing anti-globalist groups devasted parts of Hamburg a few years ago during the G20, so they’re not exactly harmless. But even that event was exploited immediately, because when you go from a few slashed tires and smashed windows, to thousands of protestors from all over Europe descending into the city and set entire streets of parking cars on fire, it looks like an extreme, dramatic increase in percent.
I know the “fake news trap” of right wingers all too well, so I’ll preemptively discharge it: putting things into a more accurate perspective DOES NOT mean that I endorse what they do. It’s also not downplaying it. It just is as it is (according to sources like FBI.gov or Statistische Bundesamt). aif the numbers paint a different picture, I have no problem whatsoever to reflect that next time in my views. Political violence of that kind is wrong, misguided and counter-productive, every supposed gains made is tenfold undone by Right Wing propaganda that is made out from it.
“”Left Wing anti-globalist groups devasted parts of Hamburg a few years ago during the G20, so they’re not exactly harmless””
Journalist Tim Pool reported that the only stores that didn’t have their windows smashed were the ones with Antifa symbols in the windows.
I guess, if you don’t share their ideology, you’re fair game.
Oh dear. Looks like you are falling into line with the ADL narrative on right wing violence. The one that includes BLM police shooters as “right wing”. The one that groups all the American crazies into one “right wing” collective while carefully separating other player groups. The one that counts all crimes committed by “Right wingers” even when they are not ideologically motivated…
It’s tribes all the way down.
Stop projecting, and smearing, and look at the facts. Any source I found on “right wing extremism” says the same thing. I guess that’s the Lügenpresse conspiring everywhere.
Here’s an older link list on right wing extremism.
Here’s a more recent one:
Here are stats for Germany (2017) total offenses:
Right Wing: 19,467
Left Wing: 6,393
Source: verfassungsschutz.de/de/arbeitsfelder/
“Have been riled up by such fake news and quasi fake news non-stories, designed to keep Antifa in the news”
Don’t you think this is a bit offensive and condescending?
Suggesting that people who are disturbed by far left antics and violence are being manipulated by news sources on the right?
It’s a matter of fact. Originally, the mainstream was in total denial about woke culture and still hasn’t named that clearly, or described it properly, but was quick to recognize an “Alt Right” without any clear idea, adding to the confusion that is still helping the far right.
This obvious unwillingness of big media to even recognize the “SJW” phenomenon has led to a proliferation and funding of Alt Right “street journalists”. Best known were perhaps Rebel Media and Lauren Southern. This led to numerous SJW compilation videos, which gathered a lot of clicks.
The growing “Anti SJW” corner began to rely on such media sources, as traditional media and the “SJW” themselves kept denying they exist.
Around the Berkeley protests, the mask slipped however. All the fun and games with kekistan and merely documenting the SJW antics were exposed as infused by far right propaganda, by the unwitting protagonists themselves. They had tweeted about their gathering with Alt Right big names, alongside neo fascist slogans and symbology. Propagandameisters like Carl of Swindon presented characters like Luke Rudkowski as “independent” journalists (he’s a truther), who downplayed the far right ‘Patriots” and “Proud Boys” etc. Carl even points out the right wing rioters, but they quickly agree to ignore them.
Berkeley brought Antifa into news. Already at the time, the reporting was far from reliable, and what would you expect when the material comes from a new right wing “street journalism”?
You can see it also for yourself, because Right Wingers use the Antifa footage to scare the general crowd, while their own more violent wing enjoys the remaining footage where they pose in their own riot gear and clashes. Here’s a random example.
I agree that “right wing” online media is baised and do exaggerate but your posts leave me confused on YOUR view of “SJW culture”, indentity politics, anti-western sentiments, and the politicization of science at western academic institutions.
I think the moderate left allowed the crazies to run the asylum and much of the main stream media is infected by political activists instead of journalists.
The british Guardian used to be my favorite newspaper but today contains a lot of clickbait left wing lunacy like this headline recently:
“Lower voting age to six to tackle bias against young, says academic”
I know the Intersectional/Woke faction very well. They continue to be a huge problem for the Left, and are a boon to the Right. The powerful in media and politics like them a bit much, too, and their talking points have very little to do with economics, but are all about law & order, identity and (media) flak, that — so, to me, they aren’t Left Wingers at all. Their sole connection is via the “Academic Left” who declared themselves as “very left” but which was and is disputed, especially since Heidegger is more important to their tradition, than Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Chomsky or whoever leftist intellectual you can name.
Agreed
I recall that a philosopher (and I can’t remember the name) reckoned that things turn into their reverse. So barter turns into exchanging coins turns into promises to pay turns into credit cards. Perhaps antifascists really do turn into fascists themselves?
Maybe you’re recalling Hegel’s thesis/antithesis/synthesis dialectic?
That is arse about face, uncivil and dangerous, maintaining peace at all costs… I can see why the officer did this but it was enforced and not by agreement and about Ngo own safety.
It should be illegal to wear a mask in public. That is the law in many states. It was passed to stop the KKK from wearing hoods to cover their faces. It is still a good law and should apply to all groups and individuals, except for kids Trick or Treating on Halloween.
What about my balaclava during freezing winter days or on the ski slope?
Ok. Make an exception if the wind chill is below zero.
I should have had put an 🙂 after my comment.
Sorry about the have had…I don’t know how I had have done that.
I done did that once myself.
I found the videos quite confusing. And there were some ‘gilets oranges’, was that the (anti-?) Trumpist answer to the ‘gilets jaunes’?
And where were the ‘Three Percenters’?
And was the left (Ctrl or other) not against carrying of fire arms? In about all developed countries that lady with the semi-automatic would have been immediately arrested.
And more confusion: these slogans were so toe-cringingly embarrassing, are we sure they were not right wing extremists trying to ridicule the left wing extremists? Just wondering…
Please write your congressman asking for laws to ban all semi-automatic weapons from further production and sale.
This all happened two weeks ago. This is a better, clearer whole video rather than the segments on Twitter:
https://youtu.be/4mDk273TgvM
The red or yellow Hi-Vis jackets are to mark the wearers out as “security” & “guides” – the protesters come from all over & will not know each other so the Hi-Vis wearers are ‘go to’ people. In the street rallies you’ll see Hi-Vis being worn by people on the flanks & front of the column.
You can’t see the Washington 3 percenters, Patriot Prayer, Proud Boys etc because they were holding an official, licensed rally at City Hall Plaza while the various groups loosely affiliated under the banner Antifa were kept away by the Seattle Police Department. Thus the counter protesters were made to gather kitty-corner to City Hall instead of directly across the street.
Thanks, is is slightly clearer now:
– The ‘three percenters’ can be briefly seen on the stairs of the building opposite the road.
– I understand now that the orange Hi-Vis jackets belong to the ‘internal order maintainers’ of the protesters, nothing to do with the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ in France.
I still don’t understand why they did not welcome Mr Ngo, after all, they want publicity, now don’t they?
And I don’t understand why they tolerated asemi-automatic rifle in their midst, is the Ctrl-left not supposed to be anti-gun?
On the whole I found both demonstrations pitifully (but also reassuringly) small in numbers.
I think the police appeared to do a good job by advising Mr Ngo to leave for his own safety. I note it was a polite advice, they did not man-handle or force him out or so.
[Q1] I understand now that the orange Hi-Vis jackets belong to the ‘internal order maintainers’ of the protesters, nothing to do with the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ in France.
Yes, that’s right. But there have been “yellow vest” protest rallies in various US cities & other countries. So a trend has begun.
[Q2] I still don’t understand why they did not welcome Mr Ngo, after all, they want publicity, now don’t they?
Andy Ngo tweeted this about the Yellow Vest protest in Portland with HIS description as follows:
Andy Ngo didn’t link to the Yellow Vest facebook page – he put up a screenshot instead. This makes it much harder to fact check for your average, lazy internet consumer of partisan bullshit.
But when I go to take a look at the facebook page for the protest it says this:
You will notice the spin Ngo has added:
** Social Programs becomes Socialist [a derogatory term in a large proportion of the American population]
** Affordable & available housing for all becomes free housing
** subsidized childcare becomes free medical care
[Q3] I still don’t understand why they did not welcome Mr Ngo, after all, they want publicity, now don’t they?
I suppose they see he isn’t the balanced, independent reporter that he portrays himself to be [check my links at bottom of this post to see for yourself]
[Q4] “And I don’t understand why they tolerated a semi-automatic rifle in their midst, is the Ctrl-left not supposed to be anti-gun?”
There isn’t a “they” as such. Antifa are a loose knit body divided into cells who communicate below the radar. A city might have two or three cells who don’t agree with each other on policy – members flowing in & out & from cell-to-cell. Reminds me of the French resistance in WWII – as much energy spent in political talking shops & backbiting as in reconnaissance & sabotage. This year Antifa has called for members to come along with firearms in those cities where it is permitted – as self defence. There is an arms race going on.
NOTE: Much of the above is from my reading & I do have a bias in my materials – I am left leaning politically on many things, but right leaning in places – so take my words with a pinch of salt!
ANDY NGO TWITTER
YELLOW VEST FACEBOOK
Thanks Michael.
My first guess is that the cop in question was pragmatically trying to avoid an incident starting. (And I’m not normally disposed to take the side of the police).
I’m very suspicious – often to the point of flatly disbelieving on principle – any account of an incident given by one individual, particularly if that individual was armed with a video camera. Selective editing can turn black into white.
cr
What’s really dismaying is when antifa/far left types beat up innocent bystanders:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-man-said-accidentally-attacked-by-left-wing-protesters-in-philadelphia/
“A Jewish man was attacked Saturday by left-wing protesters in Philadelphia who suspected him of being part of a small far-right rally, according to activists at the scene.”
And I’ve also seen video of verified Antifa violently attacking a black man (I thought antifa supported BLM?) who dared to ask them too many inconvenient questions.
There is also some pretty disturbing video of Antifa folks in Portland taking over city streets and violently attacking the cars of passersby. Interestingly, this occurred after a black man had been shot by police, so brave *white* protesters yelled ‘f*ck you whitey’ and so on at white passersby….
From Philadelphia magazine, about the AntiFa attacks on some Marines last month:
“both marines testified that Keenan, Massey, and approximately ten other people — men and women, some masked and some unmasked — then began attacking them with mace, punches, and kicks, and calling them “nazis” and “white supremacists.”
On the stand, Godinez said that he was “bewildered” by being called a white supremacist and immediately cried out, “I’m Mexican!” After that, as the attack continued, both men said that members of the group, including Keenan, repeatedly used ethnic slurs, including “spic” and “wetback,” against the marines.”
The AntiFa spectators were chanting “F**k him up” during the beatings.
They are not the good guys. They are just the lefty equivalent of the KKK.
It’s bad when they beat up anybody. There are laws against that.
Great article…perhaps the police are afraid of all those masked bandits..this the wild, wild west again.
The police try to avoid violence as much as possible.
Well, physics tells us that anti-fascists are just fascists with opposite spin and charge.
That’s a beautiful comment. I LOLed, but it’s true.
Someone should walk around with that sign at the next Antifa rally – just to test the hypothesis!
And where is the ACLU? Will they stand up to sue Seattle to defend Ngo’s civil liberties?
Let’s refer to them as Auntifa going forward. They are clearly using fascist goon tactics and are doing more harm to the cause of social justice than are the events they oppose with violence and/or the threat of it.
Blocking passage on a public sidewalk has a very “Left” linneage in Seattle. In 1999, an outfit calling itself the Direct Action Network insisted that it would not let WTO representatives use the public streets to attend their meeting. [The activists assumed this authority, of course, on behalf of “The People”.] The outcomes of the Seattle anti-WTO charades typify the accomplishments of this kind of Left. That afternoon, the mass transit system was paralyzed, and so some people who depend on the buses, such as clients of the Northwest Center for the Retarded’s sheltered workshop, with which I am familiar, could not get home.
sub
Uh, maybe Seattle is a leftist sh*thole … just a thought.
The extreme left have adopted Islamic tactics – respond with violence when challenged.
Thus the authorities accuse people who mereley irritate groups like antifa with causing violence!
Also, since Antifa are a loose network, what’s to stop someone from creating a “chapter” for whatever dumb or worse reason?