Andy Ngo was one of the first journalists to report extensively on the alleged radical roots and motivations of the far-left, extremist group called Antifa — and for that, he was apparently targeted and beaten.
"They hate me because I was writing unfavorably about them," Ngo told correspondent Lara Logan in her multipart documentary series, "No Agenda with Lara Logan." "Because I was writing honestly about what they were doing."
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In November 2016, Ngo was a student journalist with the Portland State University newspaper and President Trump had just won the 2016 election.
Portland exploded into days of violent and destructive protests. The first night of the riots alone caused more than $1 million in damage, according to Portland's mayor.
"People in the city could not accept that Donald Trump had won," Ngo told Logan during an episode recorded prior to the death of George Floyd.
"There was a certain faction that manifested that hatred through violence and destruction, so that was the first time I came face to face with what I now know is Antifa."
"That was the first time I can face-to-face with what I now know is Antifa."
Destructive riots in Portland became a routine event, according to Ngo, who began documenting the group's behavior.
His videos showed that often-times Antifa members were the aggressors during protests, which was a reality that ran counter to the media's portrayal of the group.
In June 2019, Ngo 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.
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., which identified him as a supposed right-wing sympathizer.
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.
"I was in the middle of the crowd with my GoPro just recording it, and then all of a sudden somebody or something hit me very hard in the back of the head and knocked me forward," he told Logan.
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"Punches just came from every direction. And they were striking me repeatedly in the eyes, the back of the head and the top," he recalled. "I put up my arms at one point just to shield myself and to let them know that I am not a combatant. And then the crowd threw eggs and milkshakes at my face."
Ngo was severely 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.
Despite it all, Ngo told Logan that he will continue to report on Antifa because he believes that they represent a threat to American democracy.
"They all want radical change, and they don't really see how easy and quickly you could destroy what's taken centuries to build up," said Ngo, whose parents fled communist-controlled Vietnam in the 1970s.
"My criticisms of these Antifa movements, these people who are advocating for what they believe is a utopia that can happen through revolution, they don't realize what it took to get American or Western society to the way it is today, and it could be discarded in an instant," he concluded.
To watch all of "Lara Logan Has No Agenda," and hear more from Ngo about the ideology of Antifa, go to Fox Nation and sign up today.
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