Portland protesters chase man they think is notorious conservative — who has to hide in a hotel: report

A violent fracas in Portland on Friday evening illustrated the high tensions between anti-fascist activists and those who oppose them.

"People in a May 28 protest crowd in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center chased, tackled and punched someone they believed to be right-wing author Andy Ngo, pursuing him through the streets of Portland until he hid inside The Nines hotel," the Williamette Weekreported Saturday. "The enraged group pulled on the hotel's front doors and shouted 'You wanna kill us? You wanna kill us, Andy?' at The Nines staff while the hotel staff frantically tried to hold the entrance closed."

Reporter Suzette Smith said the person "appeared to be Ngo," but he did not respond to her media inquiries and has not tweeted since the incident.

"Ngo is the nation's most prominent media detractor of Portland's anti-fascist movement. In January, he published a best-selling book criticizing antifa. His national fame stems in part from being kicked and punched by masked assailants during a Portland protest in May 2019," the weekly reported. "A group of 5-10 people in identity-obscuring clothing called "black bloc" followed the person they suspected of being Ngo for blocks, inquiring who he was. At one point, the person they pursued said his name was Jake. In front of the AC Marriott, the group tried to unmask the unknown man. He ran for blocks until someone in the pursuing group tackled him—at Southwest 4th Avenue and Morrison Street—and punched him several times after his head hit the brick sidewalk."

One anecdote illustrated how Ngo is an extremely divisive person in Portland.

"A nearby man holding a skateboard admonished the group, saying that their quarry looked like he'd 'had enough.' However, when someone nearby shouted that the person they were assaulting was Ngo, the skateboard-carrying man changed his attitude, swearing and joining the group," Williamette Week reported.

Watch:

Hostile group surrounds Nines hotelwww.youtube.com