Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- August 18, 2021
- Targets
- Danny Rivero (WLRN-FM)
- Assailant
- Private individual
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
Danny Rivero, a reporter for south Florida’s NPR and PBS stations, WLRN Public Media, was assaulted after taking a photo of anti-mask demonstrators in Miami, Florida, on Aug. 18, 2021.
Rivero, who did not respond to messages requesting comment, wrote on Twitter he was covering protests against coronavirus mandates outside the Miami-Dade County Public Schools headquarters. At 6:45 p.m., Rivero said he had just been assaulted by a man he identified as a member of the Proud Boys, a violent far-right group.
In Rivero’s police report about the incident, reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, he said that he was approached by three suspects, one of whom grabbed him by the arm and pushed him, telling him, “I will fuck you up!"
“The police escorted me across the street, and for a minute all eyes were on me on both sides of the line. But it’s not about me, it’s about the story,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet. Rivero added that he was “totally fine” and was able to continue conducting interviews and photographing the demonstrations.
The Miami Police Department confirmed to the Tracker that Rivero filed a police report about the incident on Aug. 19.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].