A conservative journalist who says he was assaulted by an antifascist group during protests in Portland, Ore., last month told Hill.TV that he suffered brain injuries as a result of the incident.
“The cuts and bruising on my face have mostly healed,” Andy Ngo, an editor at the website Quillette, said during an interview Thursday. “The most serious injury to me was my brain in the course of the mob beating, so going forward I will be having various forms of neurophysical therapy and speech therapy to address some of the neurological challenges that I’ll be having.”
Ngo made headlines in June after he said he was attacked by the antifascist group Antifa, which was protesting a march held by the Proud Boys, a far-right group.
The Portland Police Bureau have said three people were arrested in connection with the violent clashes that left Ngo and two other people hospitalized.
Following the incident, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) said in a series of tweets that the city stands “against all forms of violence – regardless of someone’s political leanings.”
But Ngo, who has demanded that Portland police take more action, expressed dismay Thursday that none of his alleged attackers have been arrested or held accountable.
“In a functioning liberal Democracy, we cannot normalize political violence,” he said.
Conservatives and liberals came to Ngo’s defense after the protests.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang sent his well-wishes to Ngo a day after the incident.
“I hope @MrAndyNgo is okay. Journalists should be safe to report on a protest without being targeted,” Yang tweeted.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), alongside Bill Cassidy (R-La.), introduced a resolution that would label antifascist activists a domestic terrorist group, a move that some critics argue could open the door to overly broad enforcement due to the group’s leaderless structure.
Cruz also sent a letter this week to Attorney General William Barr, calling for an investigation into Antifa and Wheeler.
—Tess Bonn
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