By Lia Eustachewich
January 8, 2021 |
An Associated Press photographer was attacked by pro-Trump protesters during the riots on Capitol Hill, because they mistakenly thought he was a member of Antifa.
Video from Wednesday shows lensman John Minchillo — who is wearing a black gas mask, helmet and black jacket and has cameras swinging from his neck — being repeatedly shoved by angry protesters who shout, “Get the f–k out of here!”
At one point, Minchillo puts his hands up and pleads with the protesters, “All right. All right. Enough.”
A few men manage to jostle Minchillo away from the police barriers in front of the steps of the Capitol building and through the crowd — and then one shoves him over a short wall.
That’s when another man in a Trump cap intervenes, as the others shout, “Who is he? Who is he?” and “Are you Antifa? Are you Antifa?”
Minchillo pulls out his NYPD-issued press pass, and the man in the Trump hat tells them, “No, he’s not. He’s press” and hands Minchillo back a camera.
The man in the hat then walks Minchillo and his colleague, Julio Cortez, who filmed the heated encounter with his GoPro, safely out of the crowd.
Cortez said Minchillo, a longtime AP staff photographer, wasn’t injured in the melee.
Capitol rioters seen destroying the equipment of an AP reporter
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“He was labeled as an anti protesters [sic], even though he kept flashing his press credentials, and one person can be heard threatening to kill him,” Cortez wrote of the chaotic scene.
“This is an unedited, real life situation of a member of the press keeping his cool even though he was being attacked. A true professional and a great teammate, I’m glad we were able to get away.”
AP photographer John Minchillo is attacked by Trump supporters during the breach of the Capitol. AP/Julio Cortez
Members of Antifa — a violent, far-left extremist group known for wreaking havoc at past protests and clashing with pro-Trump crowds — typically dress head to toe in black, with masks to obscure their faces. RIGHT WING OPINION, ANTIFA ARE DEFENSE FOR PROTESTERS ATTACKED BY THESE TRUMP MILITIAS THE RIGHT
CLAIMS THEY ARE DRESSED TO KILL BECAUSE LIKE THE COPS THEY FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES.
Five people died in the riots on the Capitol grounds, including a Capitol Police officer who was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher while battling protesters.
Protester and Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt was shot dead by Capitol Police after breaching the Capitol building, and authorities said three other people died of “medical emergencies” during Wednesday’s protest.
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