By John Friend
On Nov. 1, a violent antifa extremist was sentenced to six years in prison for striking another man in the head with a baton during a protest in Portland, Ore. in June of this year. Protests in Portland in recent years have seen shocking levels of political violence, largely committed by radical leftwing extremists and members of antifa, who often use masks to conceal their identity and violently assault their perceived political opponents without provocation.
Gage Halupowski, 24, struck Adam Kelly, a conservative activist, in the head during the June protest, causing Kelly to require 25 staples to close the gash on his head. The violent blow, which was caught on film and used as evidence in the trial, also caused Kelly to sustain a concussion.
The incident took place during the same protest where independent journalist Andy Ngo was violently attacked, which caused Ngo to sustain serious injuries including a brain bleed. Several other conservative or right-leaning protesters were also assaulted by antifa members during the protest, yet thus far only Halupowski has been brought to justice.
Prosecutor Melissa Marrero argued that Halupowski’s attack on Kelly was “completely unexplainable, completely avoidable, and didn’t need to happen,” according to The Epoch Times. Marrero indicated her office is continuing to investigate the violence that occurred that day, including others who participated in the attack against Kelly.
“My office has individuals charged on both sides of the political spectrum,” Marrero stated. “We are not picking sides based on political affiliation, political views, or anything like that.”
The sentencing of Halupowski comes roughly one month after the successful conviction of yet another far-left extremist named David Campbell, 32, who pleaded guilty to two counts of felony assault last month. Campbell will serve 18 months in prison for assaulting a 56-year-old Trump supporter in January 2018. Campbell was arrested after reportedly punching the Trump supporter in the head after attending an event in New York City celebrating the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration organized by political commentator Mike Cernovich.
Following the assault, NYPD officers arrested and charged Campbell with multiple crimes, including strangulation, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, and other related charges. The additional charges were dropped during the trial.
Ngo was recently interviewed on Fox News about the recent convictions of the two radical leftists. Incredibly, despite video and photographic evidence, credible testimony, and other evidence, the vast majority of leftwing activists who have engaged in political violence have not been prosecuted, leading many to conclude that certain elements in law enforcement and political establishment have coddled antifa extremists while pursuing right-leaning activists with the full force of the justice system.
“I want to point out that this is only the second violent antifa criminal across the United States to face actual prison time,” Ngo stated to Fox News. “The first one was a militant in New York City; just last month he was sentenced to 18 months. So I hope that this marks a new trend in prosecutors pushing for actual convictions and sentencing.”
Last month, a Manhattan judge sentenced two members of the Proud Boys, a much maligned pro-Western men’s fraternal organization founded by the right-leaning political dissident and activist Gavin McInnes, to four-year prison sentences for their participation in a brawl with radical leftwing extremists, following a speech by McInnes at the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York roughly one year ago.
Maxwell Hare, 27, and John Kinsman, 40, were convicted of attempted gang assault, attempted assault, and rioting this past August for their actions on the evening of Oct. 12, 2018. Hare and Kinsman were with a group of other Proud Boys and supporters of McInnes who were exiting the Metropolitan Republican Club following Mc-Innes’s speech as radical leftwing extremists, who were protesting the event, eagerly awaited to unleash mayhem.
According to local reports, roughly 60 antifa-affiliated protesters jeered and physically confronted the Proud Boys and other attendees of the speech during their exit from the building. Police attempted to direct the attendees around the radical leftwing protesters, however several antifa members then attacked a group of the Proud Boys, including Hare and Kinsman. A violent scuffle ensued as fights broke out and punches were thrown.
John Friend is a freelance writer based in California.
