Right-wing and left-wing groups clashed in front of the US courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, weeks after federal agents pulled back from the site of protests that have gripped part of the city’s downtown for months.
A group of about 200 protesters, including members of the Proud Boys and families supporting the police, gathered along the courthouse sidewalk beginning at 11 am. Many of them were holding American flags, while others carried assault rifles and wore tactical military gear.
Almost immediately, a similar number of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered across the street, many dressed in all black and carrying shields or paintball guns.
Within an hour, shouting turned to violence.
Paintballs flew between the two sides. Bottles soared back and forth. Shoves became punches. As protesters who were struck with pepper spray moved back, others came forward to take their place.
All the while, police officers watched from a distance and chose not to intervene. The Portland Police Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Several people were punched or hit with objects, although there did not appear to be serious injuries. Mike Redwood, a Black Lives Matter protester, said he was hit in the face with a baton and shocked with a stun gun during an altercation with far-right demonstrators.
“I still have all my teeth and nothing’s broken, so I guess it’s not that bad for being hit with a bat,” he said while holding an ice pack to his cheek.
For about three hours, the two sides were in almost constant conflict, much of it violent. Redwood said that he and several other Black Lives Matter protesters had occupied part of the street and that he held his ground when the opposing line advanced.
After a majority of the right-wing demonstrators left, police officers declared the crowd unlawful and dispersed it.
Redwood said it was one of the more violent confrontations he had seen between right-wing and left-wing demonstrators in Portland.
“I haven’t seen it to this degree,” he said.
A demonstrator among Proud Boys and other far-right groups holds a flag aloft during clashes with counter-protesters outside the Multnomah County Justice Centre in Portland, Ore, on Saturday, Aug 22, 2020. The New York Times
Portland has been the site of some of the country’s most visible Black Lives Matter protests since George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis in late May. There have been protests of varying degrees downtown for more than 80 days.
The regular demonstrations prompted President Donald Trump to send federal agents to protect the US courthouse, a move that mothers, veterans and nurses considered a provocation and protested against.
