A video of an Oregon State Police officer appearing making a white power symbol at a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday in Salem, Oregon, has sparked an internal investigation.
NBC News is not publishing or linking the video to avoid providing a platform for apparent expressions of hatred or white supremacy.
The video, which was streamed live on social media, shows a police officer wearing a mask as he watched protesters during the demonstration on Saturday. The officer then walks over to one of the counter-protesters and shows the “OK” hand gesture, which is used among extremist circles to indicate “white power,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. The counter-protester is then seen patting the officer on the back.
“We know the video and the investigation,” Capt. Timothy R. Fox of the Oregon State Police told NBC News on Sunday.
According to protester who caught the on-camera interaction, Joe Smothers, some of the counter-protesters may have been associated with the far-right organization Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Proud Boys and the armed militia planned to disrupt the protest and have been calling for arms for the past week,” said Smothers, 20, who spoke in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Proud Boys members had been displaying the “OK” sign all day, Smothers added.
It is not the first time that a police officer has been caught displaying the hate symbol during protests protesting the death of George Floyd. New York police opened an investigation after an officer appeared to make the symbol during a protest in June.
