As NewsBusters previously reported, the liberal media have repeatedly defended Antifa, the far-left group that’s unleashed terror in just a few short years. During Monday’s Ingraham Angle, host Laura Ingraham sat down with independent journalist Elijah Schaffer, who recorded footage from the weekend’s Antifa squabbles in Portland. Schaffer slammed the “mainstream outlets” for “ignoring the truth” about the violence caused by Antifa.
After playing some of the footage, Ingraham played a montage of “liberals and the mainstream media” portraying the far-left group as “peaceful activists exercising their constitutional rights.” The montage included Congresswoman Debra Haaland (D-NM) describing Antifa as “peaceful protesters exercising their constitutional rights,” CNN’s Sara Sidner declaring “the idea that this was going to turn into a massive, violent protest, that did not happen,” and CNN’s Ana Cabrera claiming that they “just made a lot of noise.”
While Ingraham introduced Schaffer, she noted that “those ‘peaceful protesters’ pepper sprayed him three times.’” Schaffer described the illegal actions of Antifa that don’t exactly meet the definition of peaceful, including “stopping traffic, throwing concrete at a bus, and also throwing a hammer at an individual who originally tried to use it as self-defense as they attacked their buses.” Schaffer also claimed that he faced harassment from the SJW mob after posting his video footage online as they claimed he “doctored the video.”
According to Schaffer, “I ran right past Vice, I ran right past BBC, who were busy filming useless peaceful protesters while the real news was taking place ahead...the mainstream outlets are ignoring the truth.” Ingraham jumped in and proclaimed that the “mainstream outlets” are “denying reality” because “it doesn’t fit their narrative.” She then rhetorically asked Schaffer: “If the Proud Boys...they’re a far-right group, if they were running most of the violence, then they probably would cover it differently, correct?”
Schaffer detailed how the “demonstrations continued for up to four hours after right-wingers left,” asking “if they wanted to fight the right wing, why didn’t they disperse once they left?” Schaffer explained that instead of dispersing, the Antifa protesters “destroyed their city, attacked property, and attacked stand-byers.”
The liberal media covering for Antifa should hardly come as a surprise. After all, CNN’s Chris Cuomo justified the violence of the anarchist group because they had “morality” on their side.
One year after Cuomo made his “morality” remarks, the liberal media still refuse to tell the truth about Antifa, so it appeared the burden will continue to be on alternative outlets, conservative media, and independent journalists to document the violence of Antifa thugs.
A transcript of the relevant portion of Monday’s edition of The Ingraham Angle is below. Click “expand” to read more.
FNC'The Ingraham Angle
08/19/19
10:31 PM
LAURA INGRAHAM: Hundreds of masked antifa thugs descended on Portland, Oregon, over the weekend; dueling with far-right protesters. Now, while it wasn’t the powder keg authorities expected, cameras still captured some pretty shocking violence from the roving bands of bullies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go home!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get him out of here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: To liberals and the mainstream media, though, they were just peaceful activists exercising their constitutional rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
REP. DEBRA HAALAND: It’s not surprising that Trump would side away from the folks who are the peaceful protesters working to safeguard their city from…from domestic terrorism.
SARA SIDNER: The idea that this was going to turn into a massive, violent protest, that did not happen.
ANA CABRERA: They shouted at each other and, for the most part, just made lot of noise.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
INGRAHAM: Tell that to the older man who was thrown to the ground and stomped on; or to the journalist, Elijah Schaffer, who recorded the wild footage you just saw. He says those “peaceful” protesters pepper sprayed him three times. He joins us now for an Ingraham Angle exclusive. Elijah, now, tell us about what you saw that maybe even the video couldn’t capture over the weekend.
ELIJAH SCHAFFER: Yeah, so first of all, thank you, Laura, for having me on. This weekend was absolutely insane because on one hand, there was a narrative from the Mayor, Ted Wheeler, that there was going to be a strong police presence. But what he did not say was that the police were not going to get involved when illegal activity was taking place and this is proven by one of the most infamous Antifa thugs from the weekend who committed at least seven illegal acts; including stopping traffic, throwing concrete as at a bus and also throwing a hammer at an individual who originally tried to use it as self-defense as they attacked their buses in the middle of traffic. He got away with all of this and then the police stepped in. Right here, what you’re seeing is a man being stomped on, and it actually took me going out to the police personally to get these people out, to keep them alive. They were not intervening, they were not stopping the damage, and it looked like the city was complicit with the violence.
INGRAHAM: Well, this is what Mayor Wheeler said, Elijah, about how it all went down. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR TED WHEELER: We were preparing for and planning for a worst-case scenario, and I’m very pleased that, at least so far, this did not happen. I’m grateful that this was largely a peaceful event.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: I mean, at least what I saw in the film, I wasn’t there, you were…I mean, was that an aberration? Was that video footage an aberration or was it that wild, raucous and violent for most of the time?
SCHAFFER: Yeah, you know, what’s absolutely interesting about this is is that the mayor is like every Democrat politician out there saying that everything’s peaceful when they were not there. And of course, when I put this video footage online, we can leave it up to the blue check mark, SJW, liberal Twitter-verse to begin to accuse me, you doctored the footage, you lied. So, then I…
INGRAHAM: Right.
SCHAFFER: …actually put up more footage with three angles, which it’s hard to lie from three different angles; showing the true statement. And I’m still being accused of lying with fellow journalist Andy Ngo about the events that took place so they’re denying the video evidence. And by the way, I ran right past Vice, I ran right past BBC, who were busy filming useless, peaceful demonstrations while the real news was taking place ahead and that’s what citizen journalism has become. It’s actually because the mainstream outlets are ignoring the truth. And I’m watching violence, I recorded it and it…the sad thing is it’s out on the internet…
INGRAHAM: This is crazy.
SCHAFFER: …and still the left is saying it’s a lie.
INGRAHAM: Elijah, this is crazy, though. This…they are denying reality. We just got through talking about the reality of the US economy; always warning signs on the horizon but pretty good fundamentals. They ignore that. They ignore the, the, the violence in front of them because it doesn’t fit their narrative. If the Proud Boys, you know, they’re a far-right group, if they were running most of the violence, then they probably would cover it differently, correct? Or was the Proud Boys throwing hammers, too? Was that group throwing hammers?
SCHAFFER: Yeah, you know, that’s what’s interesting. So, the first violent altercation that I saw was a…a small citizen journalist, he was a Caucasian male, he was…
INGRAHAM: Yeah.
SCHAFFER: …pretty heavy set, looked pretty docile in general, just walked up and started filming and then they began to pepper spray him and then they surrounded and blocked out the cameras so they could begin to attack him. He was…I got that on footage.
INGRAHAM: Yeah.
SCHAFFER: We have some major videos dropping on our YouTube channel tomorrow and Wednesday, documenting the entire thing. But I watched as the…the right-wingers; they gathered and they left but the demonstrations continued for up to four hours after the right-wingers left. If they wanted to fight the right wing, why didn’t they disperse once they left? Instead, they stayed…
INGRAHAM: Yeah.
SCHAFFER: …destroyed their city, attacked property, and attacked stand-byers.
INGRAHAM: Yeah, Elijah, we’re going to look for that on your YouTube channel. Thank you for being there. I’m glad you’re okay and check back with us soon, please because we’re going to keep covering this.
