Inside the Demon Factory

The full version of this article appears at Reed Magazine

The high-definition video shows three fighters, masked and dressed in black, as they begin to beat a man who lies prone on the street.

Suddenly, a man steps forward, built like an ox, muscles bulging beneath a black-and-gold polo shirt. One of the masked fighters swings at him with a metal baton. He catches the weapon with his left hand. As the first aggressive notes of the soundtrack thunder forth, he delivers a brutal haymaker that sends his enemy’s glasses flying. The masked fighter falls, stiff as a board. The video proceeds to show slow-motion footage of the punch, interspersed with mass brawl scenes, while the beat pounds on.

Cinematic techniques such as montage, light filters, and dramatic music make the episode feel like a Hollywood blockbuster. But this is no action movie. This is a recruitment video of a rally by the far-right group Patriot Prayer in Portland, Oregon, on June 30th, 2018, moments before the police declared a riot. The masked fighters belong to Antifa, an anti-fascist group that organized a counter-protest. The ox-like man, whose alias is Rufio Panman, belongs to the Proud Boys, another far-right group. And the video has been skillfully edited to reinforce a simple narrative—to cast Antifa as dangerous extremists and Panman as a patriotic hero.

Read more at Reed Magazine