Portland was facing another day of fierce protests between right-wing and left-wing extremists, when hundreds clashed Saturday afternoon, forcing the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) to declare an unjust meeting.
A far-right group is planning an afternoon “No to Marxism in America” at the Terry Schrunk Plaza near the courthouse, following a protest by Black Lives Matter (BLM) which was scheduled to begin at 11:30 p.m.
Another event called ‘Mother of All Back The Blue Rallies,’ a pro-police protest, was also scheduled for noon.
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Extremist groups such as the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that is openly chauvinist, racist and xenophobic, and Antifa, an anti-fascist group, were present for today’s rallies.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler tweeted a warning to all protesters of the day, telling them to “peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights.”
But violent skirmishes broke out around the city when people attacked each other with pepper spray, paintball guns, batons, shields and projectiles. Streets were blocked, and police checked the situation near the Multnomah County Justice Center.
One protester filming the events of the day caught a woman on camera standing by a member of the Proud Boys group on the ground.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Criminal conduct and conduct may also subject you to violence, including, but not limited to, agents of crowd control and influence weapons. Stop engaging in criminal behavior. ”
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
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Demonstrations had apparently begun quietly in court, but turned violent within an hour of pro-Trump supporters.
“We are investigating criminal acts if we are aware of them and ask for all victims to come forward so that we can build the best case we can for improved outcomes for prosecution,” Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement Saturday.
A pro-police demonstrator was filmed with a paintball gun at close range on a counter-protester.
Protestants on both sides engaged in violent behavior and fighting broke out, forcing the police to disperse the crowds.
“Crowd management events are complex, especially when they involve groups with different ideologies with members who want to participate in physical confrontations,” Lovell said.
“PPB had to judge today with our limited resources, especially since many of our members worked in the morning during the uprising and had very poor sleep.”
The PPB announced on Twitter, “Federal officials have declared an illegal meeting in Terri Schrunk Plaza. The club is instructed to disperse to the North or be subjected to violence, arrest or ammunition for crowd control. ”
The PPB chose not to involve the Protestants until absolutely necessary, allowing them to fight it out, Fox News said in a statement.
“In this case, there were hundreds of individuals and many weapons in the groups and a very limited number of police resources that were actually available to address such a crowd,” the PPB said, adding that it officially it did not declare a rape because it did not have the police resources to deal with those consequences.
“In addition, PPB members have been the focus of more than 80 days of violent action aimed at the police, which is an important consideration in determining whether police resources are needed to intervene between two groups of individuals who appear to be willing. to engage in short-term physical confrontations. “
The FBI had earlier this week announced that it had received a bomb threat, forcing federal buildings in the area to close.
“If we develop information indicating a credible threat, we will inform the public,” the FBI said in a statement to the Associated Press Friday night.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck, and arrested hundreds of protesters by truck.
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Portland has seen more than months of protests since the death of George Floyd in May.
President Trump has been highly critical of the protests, blaming Democratic Portland’s leadership for the ongoing demonstrations.
