The country’s capital was difficult to recognize on this year’s Induction Day. In response to the January 6 siege of the Capitol, thousands of National Guard police and troops were sent to the streets of Washington, DC, where they secured checkpoints and set up barriers.
The right-wing violence predicted by Trump supporters never materialized. Joe Biden’s inauguration went smoothly. But in the Pacific Northwest, Antifa had other plans.
In Portland, Black Lives Matter-Antifa succeeded in its pre-announced “J20” riot (January 20). About 150 Antifa dressed in black disrupted traffic as they marched unimpeded to the Democratic Party in Oregon. They held a large banner showing a Kalashnikov and the text, “WE DO NOT WANT BIDEN – WE WANT REVENGE!”
They destroyed the offices by breaking their windows, one by one, with hammers and metal sticks. They dragged trash cans down the street and started a fire. Their comrades protected them from cameras with large black umbrellas.
When Portland police responded, they confiscated knives, batons, a crowbar, pepper spray and homemade Antifa fire bombs. However, most of them quickly dispersed around the neighborhood in small groups. The police made only eight arrests. Four of them were arrested in Antifa riots in 2020.
Later that night, Antifa regrouped in southwest Portland, where they chanted “F– Joe Biden” as they marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Dressed in riot gear, they wielded shields, sticks and stones. Federal officials used flash bangs and tear gas to disperse the rioters. Portland police arrested seven, three of whom were also charged with disturbances last year.
For example, Justin Bowen, who was charged with reckless dangerousness, attempted assault on the police and other riot-related crimes, was arrested for the fourth time overnight. All of his charges were dropped in the morning.
It wasn’t just Portland that experienced the opening day disturbances. In Seattle, hundreds of people from Antifa blocked traffic in the city center, destroying roads and causing street fires. They destroyed several businesses and the William Kenzo Nakamura Court. They assaulted a citizen on the street. Like their black-clad brothers in Portland, they used umbrellas to protect each other. Around 7 pm, they marched to Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market, where they began vandalizing and looting the original Starbucks, a popular tourist attraction. The police managed to arrest only three suspects.
The political violence planned in Seattle and Portland on Wednesday should have generated headlines. The state seat of a political government party has been severely vandalized in broad daylight – the second attack on a Democratic Party building in Portland since November. But because the attackers have adopted the right-wing policy of the left, they are conveniently ignored by the media and conventional politicians.
Some believe that Antifa would disappear after Biden’s election victory. They are wrong. With the convenient excuse of resisting the “fascist Donald Trump regime” no longer applicable, Antifa is just beginning.
Andy Ngo is the author of the next book “Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy”. Twitter: @MrAndyNgo