Following Violent Attack by Proud Boys, Independent Journalist Alissa Azar Found Guilty on Charges of Riot, Disorderly Conduct

Report from the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) on the recent sentencing of independent journalist Alissa Azar.

Alissa Azar, prominent Syrian-American independent journalist in the Pacific Northwest, has been found guilty of riot, and disorderly conduct following her trial this week that resulted from her reporting at a Proud Boy recruitment show of force on June 18, 2021. This county, which shares a border with the City of Portland, Oregon, had been a flash point of far-right activity as less urban communities were tested for their tolerance of far right extremists such as the Proud Boys–who were central participants in the January 6, 2021 attacks on both the US and Oregon Capitols that day. On June 18th, five months after January 6th, [Proud Boy and…] the Vice Chair of the Clackamas Republican party, Daniel Tooze, who was present in the park that day, told park staff that he and the Proud Boys were going to attack any counter-protestors that showed up.

As an Arab woman journalist, Ms. Azar, has frequently been targeted and attacked by Proud Boys, as they have targeted many other journalists who expose their bigoted violence. On June 18, Ms. Azar was threatened, menaced and physically assaulted by two large Proud Boys who were holding metal batons, sticks and bear mace. As a result of this chaotic and unusually violent Proud Boy attack, Ms. Azar was forced to use pepper spray in self-defense and in defense of her property that was being stolen and destroyed. She was then attacked from behind by one of the most notoriously violent Proud Boys, Gordon Cronk, Jr., who is currently facing numerous felony charges for other violent attacks on journalists and counter-protestors. Cronk, who wore full body armor, a helmet and gloves with metal plates in them, punched Ms. Azar in the head leaving her unconscious. Ms. Azar was simply wearing a tank top, pants, and her camera, and had no protective gear on that day. During Azar’s trial, the state has attempted to paint her mere presence at this event — even though she was clearly a journalist — as “participating in the riot, and her personal political ideologies as an antifascist as evidence to justify the charges levied against her

The importance of free press to a democratic society has never been clearer as we witness the chilling effect on imposing criminal liability for journalists who risk their personal safety to cover highly controversial events. Expert witness Shane Burley explained that many journalists from larger outlets will only cover Proud Boy events while wearing war correspondent ballistic gear and accompanied by their own security. He testified that the main tenet of the Proud Boys is to engage in political violence. Mr. Burley also testified that the overwhelming majority of journalists and Americans consider themselves antifascists, particularly as opposed to identifying as a fascist or as part of a violent street gang like the Proud Boys.

In closing arguments, the state prosecutor, Joshua Cutino, indicated that the solution to the problem of large, armed and violent Proud Boy hate events in local communities is for everyone to “just drive by.” Defense counsel responded by pointing out that in previous eras of fascist creep, such as those experienced in Nazi, Germany, “driving by” fascist displays only emboldened what would become a genocide and a dark historic moment.

Despite the fact that arresting officers admitted on the stand that they arrived after widespread violence broke out and therefore did not witness the attack upon Ms. Azar, she was the only person with antifascist political beliefs to be charged (only 3 Proud Boys, including Cronk were also charged — Cronk and another man are still at large, wanted on warrants for their arrest). Alissa Azar is a known entity to not only the Proud Boys and extreme-right, but also to the local and regional police as well. Ms. Azar extensively covers activities of the extreme-right as well as abuse of power by law enforcement, which created questions of police bias and targeting, following her selective prosecution. As the defense argued in this case, Ms. Azar was not a leader or organizer of the June 18, 2021 event, nor is she a representative of “Antifa.” If the state’s reasoning for her arrest is simply that they needed to prosecute an antifascist ‘so it would look fair,’ and she was the easiest one to identify, that is an illegitimate basis to prosecute an individual.