Ah, Portland: the city that’s so marked by leftist riots that Politico Magazine wrote a piece about how it became so violent; the city whose mayor tried to get the feds to bar free-speech and anti-sharia rallies; the city where anti-ICE protesters built their own “fort” out of trash and had to be cleared out by the cops.
Yeah, being a police officer in Portland must suck.
It seems like obvious trolling that the group Patriot Prayer would have a rally in Portland of all places, but they did Saturday and were accompanied by “Proud Boys” as a counter to the antifa groups that were certainly waiting.
Christopher Mathias, who covers hate groups and extremism for HuffPost, was in Portland covering not so much the rally as the back-and-forth between police and the antifa.
Ok here’s my thread for #AllOutPDX today #Portland
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
It’s a good thread, but it’s a little long so we’re going to pick and choose a bit (the bus ride wasn’t that exciting.)
Proud Boys / Patriot Prayer kicked out of parking lot in Vancouver WA by property owners.
Russell Schultz of Patriot Prayer says they’ll march outside Portland waterfront park today because they don’t want to be subjected to police search. pic.twitter.com/BmvlKAJFsi
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
About 80 Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer gearing up to go into Portland. They’re at the boat launch in Marine Park in Vancouver, WA pic.twitter.com/jknLS0kOvs
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
This Proud Boy is v ready to do Free Speech today #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/cHuUTKgCUf
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
A helmet pic.twitter.com/qoywe7EKyV
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
So it’s noon in #portland and right now police are keeping the two sides separated. Hundreds of Anti-fascist counter-protesters with a brass band look across the street at Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer. More PBs and PP on their way. #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/m3cIokJxKx
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Chants of “Union workers here to say, Nazi thugs not your day!” #AllOutPDX
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Ok here we go: cops issue dispersal order to counter-protesters because they’ve “spotted people with weapons.” Say failure to disperse will lead to arrest and use of “impact weapons” and “riot control weapons.”
Protesters aren’t moving. pic.twitter.com/Xgf2HxhZta
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Anti-fascists have chanted the names of Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, two men killed by white supremacist Jeremy Christian last year.
Christian had once attended a Patriot Prayer rally.
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Charlottesville was a pro-Trump rally. So is this. #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/N9HhEV4zQs
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Don’t know about that; if Charlottesville was a Trump rally, then the Steve Scalise shooting was a Bernie Sanders rally.
Chants of #abolishICE in #Portland by counter-protesters. #AllOutPDX
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer on the move along the river. Anti-fascists follow from across the steeet. Cops running inbetween. pic.twitter.com/ytV4wul88w
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
This “Racists Can’t Dance” truck just showed up pic.twitter.com/1wjVEiIydY
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Cops have deployed insanely loud flash bangs and pepper spray at anti-fascists. pic.twitter.com/fWGzIKG3eF
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Note the explosive at the end of this video. That’s what cops are firing to disperse anti-fascists. pic.twitter.com/Odd3z8ZYVR
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
After I took this video an anti-fascist was hit with some kind of projectile shot by cops. He seems fine. Cat and mouse game between cops and anti-fascists in Portland right now. pic.twitter.com/Fxk12pgbQO
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Police have declared a “civil disturbance” and are ordering both sides to disperse or face arrest or riot control agents and impact weapons.”
“All people must disperse.” #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/BLd9B5JBBt
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
The Democratic Socialists of America, among many others, weren’t happy to see the police protecting the Patriot Prayer rally from disruption.
A police riot is in progress in Portland, Oregon as local authorities clear the way for fascist and Nazis. https://t.co/IUnMGNmhXy
— DSA ? (@DemSocialists) August 4, 2018
This next guy in his bio links to the DSA Refoundation, “a caucus of revolutionary Marxists” active in the Democratic Socialists.
Just your friendly reminder that all cops are bastards and will always side with the Nazis because Fascism is a natural and accepted part of the current state. #DefendPDX #AllOutPDX https://t.co/a41gbxDMAU
— Ezra "Bryan Singer is a Rapist" Brain (@esbrain) August 4, 2018
Y'all, the cops are actively, violently defending literal Nazis and attacking counterprotestors.
And people fucking act like Sarah Jeong being anti cop is a bad thing https://t.co/4Q2uvIGeGp
— A Kind Of Computer Ghost (@EsserZed) August 4, 2018
Oooh look guys! “The man” is trying to repress a group FIGHTING AGAINST FASCISM. Know which governments do that? FASCIST GOVERNMENTS. Know that the most recent fascist government was…NAZI GERMANY. https://t.co/S8EKIpodnD
— Dr. R. Thompson Gunner PPSH. (@RlndHdlsTmsnGnr) August 4, 2018
@PortlandPolice Why are you only protecting and serving the Nazi side?
— Dorvid (@DorvidGoldy) August 4, 2018
Weird how the police are always on the side of white supremacist??? https://t.co/ddtMXDtFBZ
— Monte (@2mins4holding) August 4, 2018
cops protecting white supremacists….this is what we have come to….
— indivisible 1 (@indivisibleWon) August 4, 2018
god DAMN they love protecting fascists https://t.co/9fW3oqyyRB
— feed me a stray brät (@JonnieBratwurst) August 4, 2018
Piggies leading the way for their fashy brethren.
— Caesar Saladin (@HardcorePraxis) August 4, 2018
Most violence exerted at this rally was by the cops. Unprovoked. Pathetic.
— ✨mermaidSushi??♀️?? (@sirenshampoo) August 4, 2018
Is there anything more metaphoric than a row of dumbshit cops literally clearing the way for nazis? https://t.co/0EfvvOZtz4
— Paul Blart Mall Blart (@born2diedead) August 4, 2018
Death to the fascists! And fuck the police, terrorists for the capitalist state and shock troops of white supremacy
— Parks and Revolution ☭? (@reddeadmerican) August 4, 2018
Portland cops making it very clear whose side they are on as usual https://t.co/bgbSuSxtWy
— Eurotrashjuggalette (@geneverwhat) August 4, 2018
once again, cops showing quite clearly which side they’re on https://t.co/VDuubskF9m
— Jack Mirkinson (@jackmirkinson) August 4, 2018
The side with the permit to hold a rally?
Without endorsing Patriot Prayer or the Proud Boys, can we just point out the folly of antifa still considering themselves anti-fascist?
https://twitter.com/kebejay/status/1025871035093069824
https://twitter.com/SonofLiberty357/status/1025855209757659136
The “anti-fascists” are actually being fascist so you can stop calling them anti- thanks. https://t.co/wM0H2pWqB3
— RBe (@RBPundit) August 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/rapidcraft/status/1025869909950005249
Notice Antifa is always baiting police. Senseless use of extreme virtue signaling as an excuse to riot. https://t.co/mbGjnugjLT
— No No Bad Dog (@baddogsRus) August 4, 2018
You know, you could just stay home and let speech you disagree with happen.
When are we going to drop the “anti” part in describing these brown shirts?
Antifa is a violent fascist group that looks to use physical assault to injure and intimidate those they politically disagree with. https://t.co/uWPM0Lre5D
— Hootyman (@TheHootyman) August 4, 2018
Funny how the mainstream press, when it does cover events like this, just glosses right over the term anti-fascist without ever questioning it.
* * *
Update:
Unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly considering it’s Portland, things got bloody:
Man down. He’s dripping blood from his head. This is serious. He got in a struggle with some black clad dudes over a flag and one of them clubbed him. Video coming. #DefendPDX #Alloutpdx pic.twitter.com/2rWnAkAC2J
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
Video shows a struggle for a flag and then a black-clad person hit this dude in the head before he drops. I was watching the blood pour out of his head and into the street. #DefendPDX #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/KPRk1D8l00
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
If you want to spread a video around showing antifa in action, this is a good one:
Black-clad protester snatched a Trump 2020 hat from a Trump supporter who is sitting in the area. She got it back. #DefendPDX #AlloutPDX pic.twitter.com/6DhUhT4RHX
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
Related:
'So much cringe': Vox does some PR for antifa, asks why they 'dominate' media coverage https://t.co/W87sAbgjpd
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) October 7, 2017
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