Huff Post publishes op-ed blaming the 'far right' for Antifa attacks and bloodshed

Huff Post writer Andy Campbell wrote an article for the site pointing the finger at "right-wing extremists" as the catalyst for violence in Portland, Oregon.

What are the details?

The article, titled "Far-Right Extremists Wanted Blood in Portland's Streets. Once Again, They Got It," expressed Campbell's beliefs as to why Antifa was not guilty for the weekend's violence against demonstrators.

Antifa members mobbed journalist Andy Ngo and others, and beat him in Portland over the weekend. The Portland Police Department said that Ngo's attackers kicked, punched, and threw milkshakes and quick-dry cement at him.

A video of the incident was shared online, and went viral. Ngo was reportedly admitted to the hospital for what his lawyer called "brain bleed." He is expected to recover.

In the Huff Post article, Campbell writes, "The real common thread between these rallies has always been the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer, semi-regular insurgencies in a city their leaders don't call home. Extremist gangs have for years been hosting bloody skirmishes in coastal cities like Portland, often with tacit support from local police — was lost amid a media circus of pearl-clutching and punditry."

Campbell hardly mentioned Ngo in the write-up — and instead spoke about the weekend's scofflaw in broad terms.

"Each of these storylines is a distraction from the wider issue of ongoing, extremist-hosted fights meant to distort the conversation about the rising body count in the name of the American far right and shift the focus onto the anti-fascists who meet them in the street," Campbell adds. "Since Trump's election and the rise of extremist groups like the Proud Boys, the number of people killed by anti-fascists at these rallies remains zero."

What else?

The outlet also shared the story on Twitter, doubling down on the controversial take.

The tweet read, "When a conservative writer was bloodied in Portland over the weekend, a conservative media pointed at leftist violence. But these bloody brawls have been taking place in Portland for years, hosted by far-right extremists looking for a fight."