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On Aug. 17, a crowd of right-wing Proud Boys met up with an extremist group called the American Guard for a march through Portland. Some of them later boarded a black bus for a barbecue in Vancouver, Wash. While still in Portland, the bus was surrounded by antifascists, and a fight ensued at the bus's door, with someone wielding a hammer.
The reaction of the right-wingers to the fracas was caught on tape. That's because one of the passengers on the bus was recording video. That person shared the videos with WW, and we've posted the audio here. (We're not posting the videos because they could reveal who was filming.)
Subjects on the tapes discuss the fight at the bus door. A second tape sheds light on Andy Ngo, a conservative Portland media figure whose work has been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks.
What they said: Two men on the bus attacked by antifascists Aug. 17 explained what they did when antifa charged the bus: "If I hadn't pulled a knife on 'em, those motherfuckers would have came right through," said one man. "I smacked one of them with a hammer a couple of times," said another.
Why it matters: Video of antifa charging the bus has circulated widely online, but who resorted to weapons has been a matter of dispute. Two right-wing combatants on the tapes brag that they used weapons.
What they said: A large man in a Proud Boys shirt says the June 29 assault on Ngo happened because he ignored Proud Boys' offer of protection. "Andy Ngo was fucking told that if he wanted protection from the PBs [Proud Boys], he went in with us and he went out with us," he says.
Why it matters: Ngo has claimed to be an independent journalist. It is increasingly clear he is coordinating his movements and his message with right-wing groups. On Aug. 26, The Portland Mercury published an allegation by a Vancouver infiltrator of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer. "There's an understanding," the man told the Mercury, "that Patriot Prayer protects him and he protects them." Ngo could not be reached for comment.