A violent Antifa "ringleader" who became the chief propagandist for the movement in Portland, Ore. has been convicted of felony rioting and other crimes by a jury in Clackamas County, Ore.
Editor's note: This report has been updated.
A violent Portland Antifa ringleader has been convicted by a jury in a five-day trial marred by tight security restrictions and intimidation from Antifa members in the gallery. Alissa Eleanor Azar, 33 (b. Feb. 12, 1991), was charged with felony riot, disorderly conduct in the second degree and unlawful use of mace in the second degree.
The jury of 10 women and two men found Azar guilty of felony riot and second-degree disorderly conduct. The unlawful use of mace charge resulted in a hung jury.
The case stems from an Antifa riot in 2021 at a park in Clackamas County, Ore., and that's where the trial took place. Clackamas County is a politically moderate county adjacent to the left-wing stronghold of Multnomah County, where Portland is. It has both suburban and rural communities.
Azar burst into tears as the verdict was read on Wednesday afternoon.
The 2021 Attack
On June 18, 2021, right-wing activists held a flag wave and voter registration drive in Clackamette Park in Oregon City. Defendant Azar, who self-identifies as an "independent journalist," was captured on videos, which were key evidence in trial, rushing in to spray a woman with mace.
Antifa and Azar, the prosecution argued, organized to violently disrupt the event hosted by a Republican state house candidate, who had reserved the park shelter that day. Members of the Proud Boys were also in attendance. Police later located explosive devices at the scene, according to evidence presented in court.
"Don't forget about the counter demonstration this afternoon," Azar posted on X along with a flyer featuring the Antifa red and black flags symbol the day of the riot. But it wasn't a counter-demonstration. Dozens of Antifa members in black masks and black clothing arrived carrying melee weapons, supplies and pepper spray.
Alissa Azar urged Antifa members to mobilize to the park for a ‘counter-demonstration.’ They brought weapons.
Video from multiple angles shows them confronting the right-wing side and launching an attack through pepper spray that led to a brawl. Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino argued Antifa was looking for a fight. Azar, wearing all black but revealing her long dark hair, was recorded rushing up to a woman in a sundress and spraying her with a chemical weapon.
Alissa Azar's defense tried repeatedly to get the judge to block the prosecution from entering videos of Azar as evidence. Video stills: News2Share
"Mace the female!" one of Azar's comrades shouted in the video played to the court. Azar was then knocked to the ground by a man wearing Proud Boy symbols who was holding a shield and wearing a helmet. Cutino argued Azar was not acting as a journalist but was actively involved in the riot that "caused grave public harm."
Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino was the lead prosecutor representing the State of Oregon
Cutino described Azar to the jury as a "leader" and "organizer" within Antifa. He shared social media posts by Azar in which she repeatedly refers to Antifa in terms such as "we" and "us"—undermining her assertion she was reporting as a journalist. Five days following the June 18 riot, Azar claimed that she would participate in similar direct actions in the future, writing on X, "It's us against badged and unbadged fascists" and that she "would" do it again.
Cutino told jurors that Azar's plans to continue carrying out violence were a serious cause of concern for public safety.
The court saw many posts like this that demonstrated Alissa Azar was not merely a journalist documenting protests
At the trial, an Oregon City Police officer was subpoenaed to testify about what he witnessed when responding to the riot. Officer Spencer Rohde said police found homemade explosive devices and riot shields in the area where Antifa had congregated. A bomb squad had to be called in. Azar was captured on Rohde's body cam footage.
Some of the attendees at that 2021 riot on the right-wing side wore clothing with symbols of the Proud Boys, a group whose members have been involved in other violent brawls and protests against Antifa. The fact that some members of the Proud Boys nationally were convicted for being involved in the Jan. 6 US Capitol riot in 2021 was used by Azar's attorneys to claim that Azar's actions were in self-defense.
The district attorney's office said both sides were armed with weapons, and both sides are being prosecuted. Law enforcement officers testified as witnesses for the prosecution and described the riot as "chemical warfare" accompanied by extreme acts of physical violence.
Azar's defense at the trial, led by Lauren Regan, an Antifa activist attorney for the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), pursued a strategy of jury nullification by arguing that the victims of Antifa violence deserved it because they were connected to the US Capitol riot and are "white supremacists." She also argued that Azar's actions were self-defense while she was on the alleged journalism assignment. Regan said that Azar maced the woman out of fear because a "violent Proud Boy" was standing next to the woman.
She argued the woman had Azar's personal belongings but that claim was not corroborated.
Police body camera footage also captured Azar admitting to owning six riot shields that were brought to the direct action. Regan compared Antifa's militant activism akin to those who historically stood up against Nazism in Germany.
A social media post from Alissa Azar
Regan's Eugene-based nonprofit, the CLDC, infamously honored Eugene Antifa member Charlie Landeros after he was killed while carrying out a school shooting in 2019. The far-left group provides legal aid and counsel to violent far-left extremist suspects. The CLDC fashions itself as an Antifa group, even having one of its attorneys posing in propaganda.
A Portland leftist charged over a serial knife attack on women was a supporter of Lauren Regan’s CLDC Antifa group
A CLDC attorney poses in Antifa propaganda
Last year, TPM exclusively reported that Regan was photographed at a CLDC fundraiser with Portland leftist activist, Christopher Luchini, who has since been charged with carrying out a series of knife attacks targeting women.
Who is Alissa Eleanor Azar?
The December 2021 indictment of Azar, a long-time regular at Antifa riots in Portland, sent shockwaves across Antifa cells and networks in the Pacific Northwest. Azar had been repeatedly arrested and charged at violent Antifa direct actions in Multnomah County, but was repeatedly not prosecuted.
Alissa Azar was arrested at a violent Antifa riot in downtown Portland in March 2021. Photo: Portland Police
Azar has risen to become one of the chief propagandists for the violent Antifa movement and maintains close ties with Rose City Antifa, a violent cell of Antifa in Portland. She claims to be a journalist and uses her social media following to help mainstream Antifa's message of political violence.
For example, extremists who commit politically motivated attacks have fed responsibility claims to her for publication. Her extremism appears to be the reason Patreon pulled her account sometime in 2023, though Azar later publicized a second ban-evading account on the platform.
Update: Following Azar's felony conviction, a Patreon spokesperson sent TPM a statement. "While we do allow some creators to start new accounts following an account removal, they may not create an account focusing on the same violative works as their previous Patreon," the spokesperson wrote. Azar's last post was of content she made inside the Portland State Millar library while it was violently occupied and damaged in May. Azar has been charged with trespass over the incident. Azar's second Patreon account is now no longer active.
Victims of Azar's violence have spoken to The Post Millennial about their frustration that she wasn't held accountable for her actions in Portland.
Alissa Eleanor Azar
In March 2021, Azar was charged with second-degree disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer at an Antifa riot in downtown Portland. Her case was dropped by Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt—in line with his 2020 policy of not prosecuting most leftist riot-related crimes.
In December 2022, she was charged with felony robbery, felony assault, tampering with physical evidence, theft and other serious crimes stemming from an attack on a citizen journalist in August 2022 in downtown Portland. Schmidt's prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss the case entirely in 2023.
In May 2024, she was charged over a pro-Hamas riot on the Portland State campus after far-left occupiers were evicted from a violent four-day occupation of the Millar Library that sustained over a million dollars in damage.
Azar joins a long list of Antifa self-described journalists who have been accused or convicted of politically motivated violent crimes. In November 2022, Darrel Kimberlin, a secret Portland Antifa member who publicly identified as a "gonzo journalist" like Azar, became a convicted felon after pleading guilty to smashing up the Oregon Democrats headquarters and businesses in multiple attacks. DA Schmidt's office asked for no prison time as part of the sweetheart plea deal.
In December last year, Renea Goddard, of Little Rock, Ark., was sentenced to federal prison over a 2020 firebombing attack on police. Goddard was a former journalist for a local NPR-affiliated station.
Before Azar's involvement in militant Antifa extremism in Portland, she had a failed career in the entertainment industry.
She has spoken about her family's Syrian background and her support of dictator and accused genocidaire Bashar al-Assad. She also previously posted about her concern that Jewish people in the "entire industry" might discriminate against her. Last October, Azar appeared to post in support of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
Alissa Azar appears to justify the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel
Simultaneous to her involvement with Antifa in Portland, Azar has also grown a fanbase within that community for her sex work. She runs an OnlyFans account where she shows off nude photos of herself standing in front of Antifa print propaganda. In some of the photos, Azar dons a balaclava while brandishing an AR-15-style rifle.
In November 2022, Azar lost custody of her only child after the boy's father told a family court that her involvement with Antifa and her sex work had created an unsafe environment for their child.
A family court stripped Alissa Azar of shared custody of her only child
The Defense's Star 'Expert'
On the second day of the trial, the defense brought in its star witness: Shane Burley. Burley was presented as an expert on "antifascism" and the far-right. He has written two books and opinion articles in support of Antifa, including their use of political violence.
Defense expert witness Shane Burley is a secret member of Rose City Antifa
Burley testified that Antifa can be an organized group, but that it's rare. When asked about Rose City Antifa during cross-examination, he falsely said the group is "not an organization.” The prosecutor then pulled up Rose City Antifa’s website, which has a section about queries for membership.
The defense did not disclose to the court that Burley is a member of Rose City Antifa himself. In 2017, Burley was recorded in an undercover Project Veritas sting providing radicalization training to Rose City Antifa recruits. Another instructor was recorded telling the prospective members to gouge out the eyes of political opponents during fights.
A Project Veritas sting revealed that Shane Burley was providing secret training to Rose City Antifa in 2017
During the cross-examination, prosecutor Cutino had Burley read from his own writings where he appeared to support militant pre-emptive confrontations and violent extremism. Burley struggled to answer the questions, prompting Judge Todd L. Van Rysselberghe to compel him to answer. When Cutino asked Burley if he believed in militant opposition to fascism, which was detailed in a book Burley authored titled, "Why We Fight," Burley answered, "Yes."
In relation to the June 18 riot, Cutino asked Burley if Antifa's actions that day would have been an example of "pushing fascists out of a public space," or "militant antifascism." Looking flustered, Burley failed to provide a direct answer.
The prosecutor asked if organizing could include distributing a flyer, which is what Azar did on June 18. Burley responded: "Yes." Burley also testified that he considers himself to be part of Antifa and that violence is acceptable as long as it's for his cause of "antifascism." He added that Antifa groups would "broadly benefit by being more comfortable with guns."
Following Burley’s testimony on Friday, the defense canceled calling any more of its witnesses, which included at least three other Antifa affiliates.
Alissa Azar Testifies
On Monday, the third day of the trial, Azar took the stand.
She cried at one point and denied that she had ever been involved in "militant antifascism." This created an opportunity for the prosecutor to enter evidence revealing otherwise, such as her violent extremist posts and criminal history at Antifa events in Multnomah County.
Alissa Azar was arraigned in 2022 in Multnomah County
She testified that she was acting solely as a journalist on the day of the June 18 riot, but evidence shown by Cutino during cross-examination revealed she assisted in organizing Antifa's counter-direct action and participated in it.
Antifa members and supporters of Alissa Azar wore masks in court and harassed journalists. Photo: Chelly Bouferrache
During cross-examination, prosecutor Cutino presented to the court social media posts by Azar showing her promoting violent extremism. (Azar locked down her X account during the course of her trial.) Azar admitted that she felt it is a necessity to "use violence" and that "disrupting fascist organizing is a positive thing."
The prosecutor noted to the court that Azar fits well within the description of "militant antifascism" according to the defense’s Antifa expert witness. He referenced Burley's testimony about Antifa's goal of "occupying spaces" through violent direct actions and asked Azar if she agreed with it. Azar answered, "Yes."
Alissa Azar hides her face after leaving court with her entourage following the guilty verdict. Photo: Chelly Bouferrache
Azar testified that violence is permissible against any group whose political beliefs “antifascists” disagree with. Cutino then asked Azar, "What does violence mean to you?" She answered: "I don't think defense of community members is violence."
Azar’s social media posts over the years indicate she views evangelical Christians, women activists who are critical of trans ideology, and Donald Trump supporters as “fascists.”
Jurors were shown Azar’s March 31, 2024 post on social media platform Mastodon, ahead of a Christian worship event in downtown Portland, in which she described the Christians as “bloodthirsty” and urged her comrades to reconnect with one another and organize a response. “Fascists should always be confronted and prevented from organizing, recruiting, and spreading hate,” Azar wrote.
Rose City Antifa, a group whose direct actions Azar promotes, violently attacked a Christian worship event in downtown Portland in 2021 and has proceeded to disrupt similar annual events with violence since. Children and families were hurt in the summer 2021 waterfront attack.
Another example shown to the jury included Azar discussing an upcoming Portland Antifa recruitment event called “Fash Free Fest,” where she celebrated her comrades’ acts of political violence.
"Some of these events got insanely brutal but people continued to defend our community by any means necessary," wrote Azar. "The refusal to back down regardless of how intense things got by antifascists has resulted in the violent fascists to virtually f—k off and leave Portland."
Azar admitted to being part of the Antifa movement but stopped short of admitting to being part of an Antifa cell. Over the years, Azar has interacted closely with Rose City Antifa on social media. Under questioning, she conceded her postings and writings are “biased” because she is a radical leftist.
The prosecutor presented evidence that even before the June 2021 riot, Azar had attended and promoted violent actions carried out by Antifa against a group of conservative flag-wavers in Clackamas County, and that group did not include members of the Proud Boys.
Police witnesses had earlier testified that the flag-wavers were non-violent and had no involvement with the Proud Boys or other extremist groups. Azar posted from the scene of the surprise attack, showing Antifa vandalizing the public space with animal organs, blood, urine, oil and feces.
In closing arguments on Tuesday, Cutino stated that Azar is actively involved in Antifa, and the Clackamette Park riot that endangered the public would never have happened if Antifa didn’t show up to disrupt and attack the permitted event. He said that Azar’s self-identity as a “journalist” was irrelevant in this case because she committed criminal acts.
Alissa Azar was captured in 2021 CCTV footage meeting with violent Antifa rioters in downtown Portland following an assault on journalist Andy Ngo
The prosecutor argued that many other journalists were standing off to the side, and they did not take any violent action during that event. "Ms. Azar’s actions were violent," Cutino said. "They [Antifa and Azar] were all working together."
Cutino also told the court that suspects from the right-wing side accused of rioting are also being prosecuted by the county. One accused Proud Boy suspect has a trial in the county scheduled in November.
Defense attorney Lauren Regan argued that there is an immediate moral obligation to stand up against the far-right as a result of the riot at the US Capitol, including through the use of militant means. She likened the act of Antifa combating the Proud Boys to people who historically opposed Nazi Germany.
Regan admitted that her client is not a typical journalist, but one that throws herself into dangerous situations for the story. Regan said Azar’s actions at the park were self-defense measures.
What’s Next?
The conclusion of the five-day trial wrapped up a tense security challenge for sheriff’s deputies at the courthouse. On the second day of trial, TPM reporter Katie Daviscourt was assaulted by an Antifa associate of Azar. The Post Millennial was in attendance every day of the trial, beginning with jury selection.
An unidentified woman repeatedly hit Daviscourt with a door, forcing officers to respond. The pink-haired woman who initiated the conflict had earlier met with Azar outside the courthouse. Before, during and after the trial, multiple Antifa accounts called for comrades to surge to the courthouse to support Azar.
Antifa members stood outside the Clackamas County courthouse and stared at people and jurors as they walked out. Photos: Chelly Bouferrache
Anitfa members and friends of Alissa Azar expressed aggressive hostility to media outside the courthouse. Photos: Chelly Bouferrache
At the start of trial, Judge Van Rysselberghe banned the use of all electronic devices and prohibited media from photographing the trial over fears that jurors could be identified and targeted.
Antifa members online have sometimes adopted a tactic of trying to identify jurors in cases involving their members to harass and intimidate them, or cause a mistrial. Tracy Molina, a woman associated with Azar through prior violent Portland Antifa direct actions, was chastised by the judge on the first day for using her mobile device. Molina was warned she could be held in contempt of court for violating his order.
Chelly Bouferrache, a freelance photographer on assignment for TPM, was repeatedly harassed by Azar’s close friend, John Hacker, at the courthouse. Law enforcement officers warned him to leave her alone and he was barred from attending the trial.
Violent Portland antifa activist John Hacker was barred from the trial but stood outside the courthouse for five days. Photos: Chelly Bouferrache; Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office
Hacker, who also calls himself a journalist, was recorded on video participating in the riot with Azar in 2021. Ben West, a conservative county commissioner for Clackamas County who was at the trial, told TPM Hacker repeatedly confronted him. As revenge for West’s posts critical of Azar, Antifa accounts put out a call for comrades to release personal details about his travel and movement.
As Azar's guilt was read out in the courtroom, her Antifa supporters expressed rage and frustration. 10 sheriffs were on the scene to contain any possible rioting.
Azar immediately burst into tears upon hearing that she is now a convicted felon. Some of her masked friends also cried.
The judge sealed the jury roll to protect the identities of the jurors.
Azar's attorney told the judge she intends to appeal. Her sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 11:30 a.m.
Outside the courthouse, Antifa supporters of Azar nearly rioted. Hacker was observed beating and bloodying a man to the ground. He was arrested by sheriff's deputies and has been booked in the Clackamas County jail on a fourth-degree assault charge.
Alissa Azar's close friend, John Hacker, was arrested over a violent assault outside the courthouse following the verdict
Reporter Katie Daviscourt was confronted by John Hacker shortly before he beat a man to the ground outside the courthouse. Photo: Chelly Bouferrache
Alissa Azar wept outside the courthouse as her masked friends tried to hide her from the cameras' view. Photo: Chelly Bouferrache
After the conviction, the Clackamas County district attorney John Wentworth released a statement.
"Law enforcement officers and prosecutors worked diligently to bring this case to trial because families deserve to feel safe in our parks," DA Wentworth said. The office announced that two alleged "Proud Boy affiliates" are currently wanted by law enforcement and that a third has an upcoming trial in November.
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Comments
2024-08-15T02:33-0400 | Comment by: Dean
Yep, that's a shoebox full of crazy.