After Antifa Attacks, Comedian Ricky Gervais Calls Out Fellow Leftists

British comedian Ricky Gervais makes his living being controversial but he also steps up to defend everyone’s right to free speech and thought. While Gervais identifies as a leftist and anti anything right-wing, he’s telling the left to stop physically attacking those they disagree with.

“It’s interesting that the people who believe that throwing a milkshake in someone’s face shouldn’t be considered assault are often the same people who believe that ‘saying things’ should be,” Gervais tweeted.

Violence in Portland

Gervais’ comments came after Antifa demonstrators in Portland, Ore. threw milkshakes containing quick-drying cement, raw eggs, and pepper spray, according to police, on journalist Andrew Ngo. Ngo is a Portland-based editor at the news-opinion site, Quillette.

Milkshake throwing has become a common tactic for leftwing activists, like Antifa, recently. Nigel Farage, who is a former British representative to the E.U. and Brexit leader, was doused with a “milkshake” in May.

Journalists who condemned the attack on Ngo were met with equivocations and excuses for why he’s not really a journalist (he is) and victim-blaming.

“Andy Ngo is not a journalist, and in any event he went there hoping for exactly that outcome and for tweets like this,” one replied to CNN’s Jake Tapper, who spoke out against the violence against Ngo.

One of Gervais’ fellow comedians piped in against Ngo’s right to not be attacked.

“I don’t condone violence and I don’t like to see anyone hurt. But Andy Ngo is as much a journalist as I am a second baseman,” they tweeted.

So that makes it okay to hurt someone? It should be noted that Ngo spent the next day in the hospital with reported bleeding on his brain from the attack.

Gervais is right to call out his fellows for their hypocrisy.

“I’m an old fashioned liberal lefty, champagne socialist type of guy,” he tweeted earlier this year. “A pro-equality, opportunity-for-all, welfare state snowflake. But, if I ever defend freedom of speech on here, I’m suddenly an alt right nazi. How did that happen?”

It’s a flummoxing time to be alive, that’s for sure.