It is shocking to watch. An innocent unsuspecting young Vietnamese journalist, pining for the truth, a simple illumination on the confusing and unsettling state of our national discourse. Suddenly, like sharks agitated by blood in the water masked thugs, some claiming the moniker Antifa attack without warning.
Salem radio host Dennis Prager will interview a bruised, soft-spoken young Andy Ngo, the victim of this unprovoked attack and praise him with the greatest compliment he can muster in calling Ngo courageous. Another example of the ” violent” Left arresting free speech and curious, honest and unbiased journalism. That’s what our hapless and random victim is all about, unlike the Marxist vultures at The godless New York Times or the fake News CNN. Prager, FOX and others paint Ngo’s assault atrocity with impassioned platitudes as dramatic as many of the first hand stories I’ve heard from Holocaust survivors, survivors of sexual assault and victims of 9-11.
Wait, not so fast.
What men like Prager rely is that their audience will never look behind the Right’s own massive messaging machine to cover the layered tactics of an industry. Follow the trail from the Ngo incident and a disturbing picture emerges of an industry of agitation, and a political struggle taking place far from the centers of political power on the streets and among the socially and politically engaged ranks of young people.
Political agitation has always been a tactic on the Left and on the Right, or simply to opposing political temperatures. Ancient Greek, Chinese and Roman politicians were known to incite mobs, thugs, criminals and crowds, sometimes to violence. They postured for sympathy, narcissistically wrapping themselves in the redirected sympathy for victims of that violence to further their own agendas. Each side would frame the other as violent and dangerous. this characterized the often extremely violent clashes between the Right-wing Nazis( See: I Shall Bear Witness the Diaries of Victor Klemperer 1933-41, by ) and Communists.
The Nazis ultimately won that battle until after 11 million lives and the destruction of Europe they were defeated by the forces of anti-fascism. On June 6th Europe, Canada and the United States memorialized thousands of anti-fascists who died storming the beaches of Normandy in 1944. Ironically, 75 years later the Right in this country, which along with a sitting American president, not only clandestine cover to pro-fascist groups with benignly crafted names like Christian Identity, American Freedom Party, Proud Boys and Liberty Lobby-just to name a very few-the Rightwing media, with compatriots in the government is actively attempting to demonize and criminalize a street-level anti-fascist movement-Antifa. The street-level point of that Rightwing spear are a loose but affiliated network of white-nationalist and outright and often unabashedly admitted Nazi groups. They have a powerful corporate backed, multi-tiered media apparatus to support and proliferate their culture message.
Their interest is in agitation of the Left, posturing as victim champions of so-called free speech in an effort to gain broader acceptance. The Limbaughs, Hannits and Pragers occupy the highest populace tier of that network. Their audiences are, through predatory media consolidation by a compliant Congress and FCC. below them are more focused types, like Kate Daley, whose caustic rhetoric proliferates confusing and complex conspiracy fictions, such as the Pizza-gate conspiracy, birtherism and supporting Alex Jones’ SandyHook Hoax conspiracies and more. All of them frame Antifa as a terrorist organization. the qualitative difference is that Antifa does not have any such media messaging opportunity.
There is a history here, and it is a violent one. On that note, I will submit the Nazi’s record of mass exterminations, torture, political and media monopoly, plunder, bigotry and a culture of violence and unprovoked warfare for the purpose of economic advantage.
Anti-fascist movements emerged first in Italy, in reaction to the rise of Benito Mussolini. With the global rise of well- funded often government protected fascism the movement spread to other European countries and around the world. Hardly communist, from the start the anti-fascist movement attracted Communist, socialist, anarchist, Christians, workers and intellectuals became involved. Large-scale anti-fascist ornaizations coalesced in reaction to Franco’s fascist-Nazi-allied government. throughout the 1930s. These antifascists swelled the ranks during the Spanish Civil War. With the Nazi occupation in 1940, the French Resistance battled the German occupation and against the collaborationist Vichy régime. In the United States in the 1930s pro-Nazi fascists attempted to build consensus support through groups like Friends of New Germany, the German American Bund, the and Ku Klux Klan. The pioneer of Rightwing radio and fascist sympathizer Father Charles Coughlin became their defacto champion on the radio. “After World War II, Jewish war veterans in the 43 Group continued the tradition of militant confrontations with Oswald Mosley‘s Union Movement. In the 1960s, the 62 Group continued the struggle against neo-Nazis.” Between 1989 to 1991, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union there was a surge in fascist activity across Europe.
The Brutal Ngo Attack in Context
This was how FOX News, posted to MSN, framed the confrontation: “Several people were injured in connection with demonstrations as marchers with an anti-fascist group clashed with conservative protesters with the Proud Boys and supporters of the #HimToo movement. Conservative writer Andy Ngo was assaulted by Antifa members and spent the night in an emergency room.”
Andy Ngo did not simply happen upon the Portland Proud Boys rally by accident. he has a long history of agitation for the Right. As a gay Vietnamese man, one can only wonder his motivation. Perhaps these are deeply held views about western culture in decline, as the Right loves to frame their lack of intellectual argument for those based upon fear and emotion. perhaps Ngo is simply part taking advantage of an opportunity for self-enrichment, as the money is flowing fast and furious from the Right eager to promote the fictitious narrative of broader appeal and inclusion. Ngo grew up Buddhist but was educated in a Christian evangelical school and guilt over self identity clashes with fundamentalist rhetoric. Only Mr. Ngo knows.
He has a long record of showing up to message support far and extreme-Right groups. he purposely proliferates themes at the core of far-right ideology. There is an excitement in many of these far-Right agitators and so-called “journalists” showing up amid to emotional charged atmospheres of street protests and ideological confrontations hoping for video and audio, many times directly provoking it to vilify the opposition. I’ve personally witnessed it and confronted a number of them. They are smart asses. They are there to, in a phrase, touch Indians.
Ngo was agitating regular ahead of the event with pro-Right transgender, crime, racism and anti-Muslim rhetoric. he also agitates against Antifa. His, on the surface uninteresting, live video feeds from the event seem more a sort of surveillance video than reporting. it is as if he is attempting to identify anyone associated, however distantly with Antifa for possible retaliation at a later date. That is speculation, but if true, it leads to a disturbing question of who pays Andy Ngo and why? How is he paid?
Moreover, he was geared up for battle, in goggles, gloves, or its potentia. In photos and video it is obvious he is agitating by his unwelcome presence among people who know exactly who he is and what he is doing.
The path from Ngo to the deepest darkest fascist elements of the Right isn’t a long one. He is curiously ubiquitous with camera at many Patriot Prayer and Proud Boys agitation rallies, like this one. They are allies and sympathetic to one another. From Wikipedia: ”
On May 26, 2017 a white supremacist named Jeremy Christian murdered two men and injured a third on a train when they tried to stop his racial harassment of two teenage girls, one of whom was wearing a hijab. NGO was at a far-Right protest which sought to capitalize off sympathy for Christian’s victims. the rally was organized by Patriot prayer, led by Joey Gibson, and marketed as a free speech rally in support of Donald Trump. Antifa and many other anti-fascist groups counter-protested. Christian had been photographed at previous Patriot Prayer rallies. (Ref:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/alt-rally-draws-protests-portland-oregon-170605081719281.html)
While Gibson’s views are muddled and incoherent, his allies such as the Neo-Nazi Evropa and The Proud Boys is anything but. started by Gavin McInnes, The Proud Boys is a far-Right organization which admits only men as members and promotes political violence. “McInnes is a former contributor to Canadian far-right portal The Rebel Media[41] and a regular on conspiracy theorist media platform Infowars’ The Alex Jones Show, and Fox News’ Red Eye, The Greg Gutfeld Show, and The Sean Hannity Show. He writes for Taki’s Magazine[42] and previously wrote for TruthRevolt,[43] Death and Taxes,[44] The Federalist,[45] American Renaissance, and VDARE. In 2016, McInnes referred to Jada Pinkett Smith as a “monkey actress” on his radio show. In a speech given at New York University in February 2017, after a clash between his Proud Boys and Antifa anti-fascist protestors, McInnes said: “Violence doesn’t feel good, justified violence feels great, and fighting solves everything…I want violence. I want punching in the face.” He is also quoted as saying that,”the Proud Boys do enjoy a good brawl.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_McInnes)
Andy Ngo went looking for trouble, and as my late father was keen to say, one will always find it if one is looking. That doesn’t forgive the physical assault, but it does put it in context, and brings up some disturbing questions about Ngo and his affixations. I cringe and am bothered seeing the video, but to frame Andy Ngo as a hapless victim is laughable. In doing so it must create serious doubts over the true motivations of men like Prager , the least of which is why he is providing real or at least tacit support for fascists by demonizing those standing against fascism?
WC Turck's Helter Skelter 