A journalist who was attacked by alleged Antifa members this week at the University of Washington warned Wednesday that trained “militants” have infiltrated college campuses across the country, adding that he recognized some of his attackers from the Black Lives Matter riots four years ago.
Discovery Institute senior fellow and Turning Point USA Frontlines reporter Jonathan Choe said he was filming the anti-Israel encampment at the university in Seattle, Washington ahead of a planned event featuring Turning Point founder, Charlie Kirk, when a group of masked men approached him. The men, dressed in all black holding umbrellas, began to provoke him and his crew.
Anti-Israel encampments at the University of Washington in Seattle. (Getty Images)
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“I pretty much was in the quadyesterday…and I happened to stumbleacross one of the tents thatsaid ‘death to fascists,’Choe said Wednesday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “I started recording and then Istarted to see one, five, ten,15, 20 guys all blacked up,wearing black armor.They started following me.We started recording.We were trying to leave, that’swhen the melee broke loose,” he recalled.
In a harrowing caught-on-camera confrontation, Choe can be seen fleeing on foot as he is chased by alleged Antifa agitators following a brawl that left his security guard beaten and bleeding from his face. Police were immediately called to the scene, Choe said.
“The situation is untenable andout of control and the Antifa, the far leftactivists, the professionalagitators, have infiltrated aU.S. campus.In this case, the University of Washington in Seattle,” he told Jesse Watters.
Choe said the agitators used umbrellas as weapons and carried “bear mace.”
“I have no doubtthey have knives,” he added. “Thank god, we did not seeanything like that being pulledout but again this is how theyplay.All as a mob.They don’t go one on one, theysent 10, 20 guys on us at onceand we are totally outnumbered3-1.It’s my two security guards, I’mon my own. I was not instigating at all, Iwas simply defending myself andhad to take off, as usual.”
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Most of the alleged Antifa members at the encampment were masked, Choe said, but they appeared to be in their “mid forties.”
“These are not students. The vastmajority of the folks now in thequad at the University of Washington campus are olderfolks… these areprofessionals,” he alleged. “They don’t want to show theirfaces, they probably have jobsat the local grocery store, gasstation or even Starbucks, I have noidea.”
Antifa members, holding black umbrellas, gather outside the Supreme Court following the landmark ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. (Joshua Comins/Fox News Digital)
“These are also some of thefolks that I did recognize whodid not have masks on, these arethe folks I saw four years agoduring the height of the BLM riots in 2020, the sameagitators are now here on thequad,” he added.
Choe called on Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee to take immediate action if UW’s president, Ana Mari Cauce, fails to prioritize the safety of students and visitors on campus.
“This is absolutely scarystuff.I did not realize that after 20years in American journalismthat I would be doinghand-to-hand combat with theseidiots in black bloc,” he told Watters.
“This is getting worse,” Choe added, “and at the end of the day…if they are afraid to takeaction, then the governor needsto come out here, call in theNational Guard and clear thisplace out.It is a woke cesspool nowinfected with Antifa scum.”
UW spokesperson Victor Balta told Fox News Digital the altercation is under investigation.
“We take all assaults very seriously and UWPD is gathering information on this incident,” he said.
Yael Halon is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
