By Steve Pomper
Andy Ngo is probably the single American who best knows the internal workings, tactics, strategies, and goals of the anti-police group Antifa, which, ironically, stands for anti-fascist. The independent journalist has paid a painful price to accumulate his knowledge of leftist radicals.
Antifa militants have assaulted Ngo several times, including a brutal beating in June, 2019 that resulted in his suffering a brain bleed. It’s an incident Ngo recounts at the beginning of his excellent new book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy (Center Street Publishing 2021).
Unmasked details what Ngo learned about the violent anarcho-communist organization that masquerades as anti-fascists. This book is indispensable for police officers who want to know more about an organization dedicated to destroying them and their country.
The L.A. Times published a negative review, still defining Antifa (without irony) as “anti-fascist,” of Ngo’s book. Despite this and other smears, Unmasked has reached #1 on Amazon.com. And for those who thought a Democrat taking the White House might calm the mob. Hold on.
According to an article in the Epoch Times by Samuel Allegri, Ngo says even with Biden’s win, Antifa is not going anywhere. Ngo reminds us that the day after the election, Antifa rioted in Seattle and Portland. Radicals even destroyed the Democrat Party headquarters in Portland, a city which Ngo calls the “epicenter of Antifa.”
Ngo asserts Antifa does not oppose fascism; it opposes America. Journalist Lara Logan, also up on Antifa’s nefarious activities, cites from the group’s 10-point belief system, “America has to die in order for their world to exist.” Discover the Networks describes Antifa, also known as the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM), as militants “who are committed to waging armed warfare against American fascism—the term by which RAM refers to conservatism.” Ngo describes Antifa as, “an ideology and movement of radical pan-leftist politics whose adherents are mainly militant anarchist communists or collectivist anarchists.”
The courageous journalist’s work is informing law enforcement agencies across America about Antifa violence. Unfortunately, many local governments have more affinity for Antifa than they do for its nemesis, Andy Ngo. In Ngo’s new book, he explores Antifa’s roots and history. He says they’ve been around in some form in the U.S. since the ‘80s. But they got a lift, “following recent events, [when] Democrats have actually helped Antifa capture space in the mainstream left.”
Ngo talks of Antifa’s “irresponsible language” claiming the Trump administration was fascist and America was headed toward “another Holocaust.” Antifa claims it opposes neo-Nazis and white supremacists, but Ngo says Antifa’s attacks are indiscriminate. They damage property and assault people both targeted and opportunistic. Ngo wrote, “The intellectualizing of their arguments tries to mask the ruthlessness of their worldview. They don’t care whom they harm, what livelihoods they destroy, as long as it furthers their political agenda.”
The mainstream media and Democrat politicians, according to Ngo, have let American’s down when defining and describing—defending and even cheering—Antifa. He says this can lead to people unwittingly sympathizing with violent activists. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has defended Antifa, as has Chuck Todd, and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has called Antifa a myth. But the Left is conflicted. Some defend Antifa as if they were truly fighting fascists, while others dismiss the group as non-existent—or as just an idea. Can Antifa be simultaneously both a violent “anti-fascist” group and just an idea or a myth?
Democrats are not interested in prosecuting Antifa militants for their crimes. In fact, Biden has requested the resignation of Trump-appointee U.S. Attorney Billy Williams who, according to FOX News, “prosecuted more Antifa suspects than any other.” Apparently, the Biden administration views Williams as the criminal. Biden also fired another U.S. attorney, John Lausch, who was diligently fighting Democrat political corruption in Illinois.
Ngo says Antifa enlists recruits from groups with violent proclivities: the mentally ill and violent criminals. He says Antifa’s recruiting methods are very similar to Hamas. Ngo says, like Hamas, Antifa puts recruits through extensive training, including in firearms use and bomb-making.
The links between leftist radicals and Hamas is little known in America because the mainstream media won’t report on it. For example, during the “hands up; don’t shoot” myth-building effort in Ferguson, Missouri, Hamas members came to the city to collaborate with the militants. Ngo says Antifa recruits from two primary sources: white-collar professionals (journalists, attorneys, and academics) as trainers. And from socially vulnerable groups (homeless, mentally ill, and repeat criminals) attracted by the food and shelter Antifa can offer. Antifa even operates its own food truck known as “Riot Kitchen.”
Ngo said the white-collar recruits, who avoid arrest, train the “foot soldiers” who are the ones who get arrested and locked up. And then people like Kamala Harris support bail funds that spring violent criminals from jail. Antifa specifically trains people to make cops’ lives miserable with a multi-pronged strategy.
Antifa assault police in the streets. They dox (reveal personal information) cops and sometimes even show up at their homes. They file complaints against cops that leftist city leaders are more than eager to investigate. After one Antifa/BLM riot, Seattle police received over 13,000 complaints claiming an officer intentionally pepper-sprayed a child. When the investigation concluded, they found video showing the child, whom the parent had dressed in all black clothes, was inadvertently sprayed when pepper spray deflected off the targeted rioter. Public Service Announcement: Don’t take your 7-year-old kid to a riot.
Antifa also uses the court system, both criminally when arrested and civilly when working with allies like the ACLU, to sue officers and police departments to ban less-than-lethal crowd control tools. This, of course, mucks up the ability of police to deal with rioters. Not only do the radicals oppose the use of irritants like CS and pepper spray, but also they even oppose police using sonic warning devices that inform people the police have declared a riot, and they need to disperse. They also oppose police live-streaming riots, so they can identify the violent rioters.
Radical anti-cop groups such as Antifa are not interested in using reason when criticizing police actions. Antifa does not simply present an opposing political view; it is a violent enemy of American civil society. They, by their own admission, want to tear down traditional America. They are not merely misguided, ignorant young people (although, many certainly are). They are true believers who are willing to use violence and terror to achieve Antifa’s political goals.
Andy Ngo’s book is a gift to America’s police officers, especially those in cities with a significant Antifa presence. Unmasked can help cops increase their understanding of this enemy, so they can better deal with it, so they can rid our cities of it, so they can return those cities to their long-suffering, law-abiding residents. But there is one miserable caveat: this can only happen if the cities’ politicians finally put the law-abiding above the lawbreaking.