Antifa and Proud Boys Clash in Portland, Oregon

Demonstrations by rival leftist and right-wing groups in Portland, Oregon, became violent on Sunday as protesters armed with mace spray, batons and paintball guns clashed in the North East of the city.

According to reports, at least one man has been arrested after he engaged in a gun battle with rival adversaries, although police have said it is unclear as to whether he was tied to the clashes. 

Armed with a variety of weapons including AR-15’s, hundreds of Antifa members reportedly descended upon Portland’s central Tom McCall Waterfront Park to counter the right-wing Proud Boys’ scheduled ‘Summer of Love: Patriots Spreading Love, not Hate’ demonstration. However, as reported by The Oregonian, the ensuing violence would largely take place later that day at an abandoned K-Mart parking lot where the Proud Boys’ had regrouped in an attempt to escape the 300-strong Antifa crowd.

Sunday’s demonstration came on the first anniversary of a violent protest in the city over the death of George Floyd that left a right-wing protester, 39-year-old Aaron Danielson, dead. Danielson’s suspected shooter, a 48-year-old Antifa member who provided security for Black Lives Matter, was shot and killed by police in Washington State on September 4th, 2020, as he attempted to evade arrest. 

Speaking on Friday, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said that officers would not intervene directly to break up the inevitable clashes between the activist groups but would instead charge people with crimes after tensions had decreased. 

As reported by patriot activists and Proud Boys members at the scene, a large group of Antifa militants followed the right-wing demonstration to its new location where they proceeded to throw improvised explosive devices and smoke grenades. A white van that crashed nearby, according to the demonstrators, was driven by a mace wielding Antifa member who had allegedly tried to ram the vehicle into the crowd. The van, a former city transport vehicle for the disabled, was then overturned by the right-wing protesters as the driver ran away from the scene. 

Nearby, Proud Boys members were attacked at a gas station with explosives and airsoft projectiles before the clashes came to a halt as medics on both sides treated the wounded. 

In response to the events, the Portland Police Bureau released a statement and said that further arrests would be made as specific individuals were tied to crimes. 

“There were no immediate arrests, but detectives are reviewing evidence to determine whether charges can be brought for any criminal activity. As stated before today's events, officers were not deployed to stand in between individuals intent on confronting one another. But that does not mean the crimes committed will not be addressed. Arrests do not always happen in the moment. As in past such events, we are conducting follow-up investigations, gathering evidence, and will make arrests when probable cause exists that specific persons committed crimes. Just because arrests are not made at the scene, when tensions are high, does not mean that people are not being charged with crimes later.”