Powell’s Books said Monday that it would not carry conservative journalist Andy Ngo’s new book on its shelves, but despite the announcement, the store’s flagship location was picketed by protesters and closed early.
Ngo’s book, “Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy,” will not be available to be purchased in-store at Powell’s, the store announced Monday after backlash arose on Twitter, according to KOIN 6.
“This book will not be placed on our shelves. We will not promote it. That said, it will remain in our online catalog. We carry a lot of books we find abhorrent, as well as those that we treasure,” the store said in a Twitter statement.
This book will not be placed on our shelves. We will not promote it. That said, it will remain in our online catalog. We carry a lot of books we find abhorrent, as well as those that we treasure. (2 of 3)
— Powell’s Books (@Powells) January 11, 2021
Powell’s Books, an independent bookstore chain in the Portland, Oregon area, also pointed to its free speech policy, which states that its goal as a bookseller is “to make available and disseminate ideas and foster dialogue,” as justification for selling the book online.
Despite the announcement, protesters gathered outside the store to protest the book, KOIN 6 reported.
“STOP SELLING ANDY NGO’S BOOK”
“HELL NO, WE WON’T NGO”A crowd of #antifa have gathered outside @Powells bookstore in downtown Portland to demand they pull my book from their website. The store has already announced it won’t stock the book on shelves. pic.twitter.com/bsX5HMGDSW
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 11, 2021
The protesters covered the front of Powell’s with signs, and the store was forced to close early “as a safety precaution,” a spokesperson for Powell’s told KOIN 6.
Signs are changed and more go up in all windows #PDXProtests pic.twitter.com/QlM08oZEvK
— Andy Ngo’s book is nazi propaganda (@it_aint_pretty_) January 11, 2021
Ngo is currently suing antifa activists over a June 2019 assault at a rally that left him hospitalized. (RELATED: ‘They Nearly Killed Me’: Journalist Andy Ngo Testifies Before Congress On Antifa Violence During Portland Protests)
Ngo directed the Daily Caller’s request for comment to his publisher, Center Street Books, which is an imprint of the Hachette Book Group. Center Street did not respond to that request for comment by publication time.