Imagine covering a heated protest only to be met with fists instead of answers. That’s exactly what happened to independent journalist Nick Sortor in New Orleans on a recent Saturday night, as he faced violence from anti-immigration-enforcement protesters while simply doing his job.
During a demonstration at a federal building, Sortor found himself in the crosshairs of hostility for asking pointed questions, resulting in physical attacks and a tense encounter with local law enforcement, Breitbart reported.
The incident began when Sortor approached a speaker at the protest, challenging her on a statement about the National Guard being discriminatory in nature.
He pressed for specifics, asking about certain individuals and their actions in protecting communities, but the speaker brushed him off without engaging.
Things escalated quickly when a woman in a yellow vest tried to seize Sortor’s phone, sparking a chaotic scuffle with other protesters joining in, hitting and shouting at him for daring to probe their views.
Later, Sortor noticed a woman displaying a Honduran flag and made a casual remark, saying, “That’s a cool flag,” before asking, “That’s not the American flag, is it?” (Nick Sortor).
Her response wasn’t a discussion but a strike, as she lashed out and attempted to grab his phone, turning a simple observation into another violent clash.
Determined to hold the group accountable, Sortor confronted apparent leaders of the protest, warning them that their members were assaulting him and urging them to eject the aggressive individuals.
Instead of de-escalation, some protesters wearing yellow vests tried to forcibly push him out of the area, while Sortor cleverly maneuvered around their attempts to block him.
The situation drew the attention of a New Orleans police officer, who approached Sortor after a complaint, sternly advising him, “I don’t want you here antagonizing them and creating a problem” (New Orleans police officer).
The officer further instructed him to stop engaging, adding that asking questions was itself a disruption, and told him to film from a distance by his vehicle instead of interacting.
It’s a curious stance—silencing a journalist for seeking clarity at a public event—raising questions about whether the priority was peace or preventing uncomfortable truths from surfacing.
This isn’t the first time Sortor has faced such hostility; just months prior in Portland, he was attacked by a protester and subsequently arrested alongside others by local police on disorderly conduct charges, which were later dismissed.
Back in New Orleans, the pattern of aggression against a reporter simply asking questions paints a troubling picture of how dissent is handled by some activist groups opposed to immigration enforcement policies.
While protests are a cornerstone of free expression, turning to violence over a journalist’s inquiries undermines any claim to moral high ground. Sortor’s experience is a stark reminder that open dialogue is often the first casualty in ideologically charged settings. If asking for evidence or clarification becomes a trigger for assault, what does that say about the strength of the arguments being made?
