Portland Far-Right Rally: Police Clash With Counter-Protesters
By Al Jazeera
05 August 18
Police say at least four people arrested as far-right rally outnumbered by
counter-demonstrators.
Police clashed with anti-fascists and other counter-protesters in Portland,
Oregon, while far-right groups held a march in the northwestern US city.
As the far-right Patriot Prayer and Proud Boys groups marched in the streets
for an event dubbed Freedom March, hundreds of police in riot gear rushed
the counter-protesters, firing flash bangs and projectiles with pepper
spray.
More than 1,000 counter-protesters took to the streets, outnumbering an
estimated 400 far-right rally participants, according to local media
reports.
The chaotic clashes that took place during recent far-right rallies in the
city by placing the heavily armoured officers between the opposing sides. At
least four people were arrested during the fracas, the Portland Police
Bureau wrote on Twitter.
The police declared a "civil disturbance" and claimed they spotted weapons
among the counter-protesters, a charge the latter rejected, the local
Oregonian news outlet reported.
Left-wing and anti-fascist groups decried the police response as
heavy-handed, accusing the officers of almost exclusively targeting the
counter-demonstrators.
At least one woman was hospitalised after sustaining injuries from a flash
bang fired by officers, the local Willamette Weekly reported.
Among the groups rallying against the far-right event were the local chapter
of Democratic Socialists of America, Popular Mobilization ("Pop Mob") and a
slew of anti-fascist organisations.
Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer and a candidate for US Senate in
neighbouring Washington state, organised the Freedom March, which brought a
variety of far-right demonstrators and groups from out of state.
The far-right participants showed up in helmets and body armour. One
demonstrator, a member of Patriot Prayer, wore a T-shirt declaring "Pinochet
did nothing wrong", a reference to the Chilean dictator who killed thousands
of political opponents.
Recent violence
The mayhem in Portland comes on the heels of several far-right rallies that
descended into violence in recent months.
On June 30, Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys, a self-described "western
chauvinist" men's club, attacked counter-demonstrators in the streets,
punching them and using flagpoles as weapons.
On June 4, Patriot Prayer and other groups clashed with anti-fascists in the
city.
The spate of violence prompted watchdogs and activists to worry that
Saturday's rally could be "another Charlottesville", referring to the August
12, 2017, white supremacist protest.
During that rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was called "Unite the
Right", far-right groups clashed with anti-fascists, anti-racist activists
and community members. The day ended with a demonstrator crashing his car
into a crowd and killing 32-year-old anti-racist activist Heather Heyer.
Leading up to Saturday's event, Gibson spoke widely about bringing firearms.
In a Facebook video posted on June 30, he said: "We've always had guns at
the rally . Everyone should be carrying around guns at all times."
Speaking to Alex Jones, host of the conspiracy theory website Infowars,
Gibson reiterated his claim earlier this week: "We've always had guns at
every single rally that we have; we just don't pull them out."
Media reports suggest that police did not carry out weapons searches on the
far-right protesters.
In the past, white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis have
participated in Patriot Prayer's events.
On August 12, the one-year anniversary of the deadly Charlottesville
protest, far-right groups plan to hold "Unite the Right 2" in Washington,
DC.
Hundreds of people - among them Black Lives Matter activists, anti-fascists,
anarchists and leftists - are expected to hold a counter-demonstration.
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