GUILTY: Portland Antifa’s John Hacker sentenced to jail over brutal assault outside Oregon courthouse

Hacker, who has a history of violence, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault. He has been sentenced to five days in jail and 24 months of supervised probation. The defendant has also been ordered to complete an intensive anger management course, pay a $300 fine, and have no contact with the victim, according to a plea agreement obtained by The Post Millennial.

Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Klassen prosecuted the case for the state of Oregon.

On August 14, 2024, John C. Hacker aggressively confronted a mentally disabled man, identified as Paul Pawlowski, outside the Clackamas County Courthouse, resulting in a heated verbal exchange that occurred just moments after Azar's criminal conviction. The two have a prior history stemming from their political activism in Oregon and are on opposing sides of the political spectrum. To put it simply, they are not fond of each other and have had previous court disputes, records show.

The verbal altercation became violent when Pawlowski, who suffers from severe Asperger's syndrome, touched Hacker on the shoulder to say goodbye and finish the conversation. Video evidence shows that after Pawlowski turned to walk away, Hacker punched him in the face from behind. The attack was so brutal that it knocked Pawlowski to the ground, leaving him bloodied with a large hole in his cheek.

Medical records reviewed by The Post Millennial show that Pawlowski sustained a traumatic brain injury from the incident, as well as an infection from his facial wound.

Hacker was arrested by police after fleeing the scene and was booked into Clackamas County Jail for assault. He was released the following day, jail records show. The Post Millennial captured his arrest on video.

John Hacker is the third Antifa-affiliated individual to be convicted of criminal acts of violence by the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office in recent months. Natalia Goudvis, 26, of Boston, was convicted of harassment after she violently attacked an independent videographer outside the courthouse in yet another fit of rage stemming from Alissa Azar's felony conviction. Both Goudvis and Hacker supported Azar during the trial.

The three convictions have sent a shockwave throughout Rose City Antifa, whose members often escape justice in Multnomah County, where Portland, Oregon, is located. Clackamas County is adjacent to Multnomah County and has a history of being tough on crime and respecting the rule of law.

Who is John Hacker?

Hacker describes himself as a "citizen journalist," but is said to have an alleged role within Antifa that includes doxing political targets. He has a long history of violence and famously testified to assaulting Post Millennial senior editor Andy Ngo during his trial against Rose City Antifa, et al in 2023.

Ngo accused Hacker in a civil complaint of assault, battery, theft, and intentional infliction of emotional distress over multiple incidents of violence that began in 2019. This included Hacker assaulting Ngo at a Portland-area gym and stealing his phone. Despite the admission of guilt, he was found not liable by a Portland jury following a lengthy trial marred by security threats and intimidation from Antifa in the gallery.

Hacker was also a key figure in the infamous 2020 BLM-Antifa riots, which ravaged downtown Portland for months. Court records show he was arrested multiple times on various criminal charges during the anti-police direct actions inspired by the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

John Colin Hacker smiled in his mug shot while being booked into the Clackamas County Jail on February 19, 2025

What's next?

Pawlowski also faces criminal charges from the Clackamas County DA’s Office over the same incident. Prosecutors said Pawlowski made “unwanted physical contact” with Hacker, which resulted in violence being used against him. The DA’s Office has charged him with one count of harassment, according to charging documents. He pleaded not guilty to charges and has a trial scheduled in April.