Videos from Portland showed a crowd of protesters violently shut down an event where Christians gathered to pray on the waterfront – before another clash on Saturday afternoon involved anti-fascists and members alleged Proud Boys throwing projectiles at each other on a city street.
The police did not intervene in either confrontation – apart from a police car sounding its siren a few meters away.
The first instance of violence occurred Saturday at a planned outdoor event at Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Battleship Oregon Memorial that will be hosted by Artur Pawlowski, a traveling preacher who was arrested in Canada for hosting services of worship in violation of coronavirus restrictions. Several Antifa Twitter accounts tweeted about the planned event, the Post Millennial reported, and videos posted online showed that a crowd of protesters dressed in black bloc outfits showed up at the edge of the water to confront the faithful.
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Dozens of people carrying black umbrellas and shields are seen spraying red and yellow gas at the group of worshipers, while other Antifa members steal sound equipment, lawn chairs and carts left on the lawn by families who came to listen to the pastor speak.
“All cops are B*******, in the name of Jesus,” a man’s voice said during the melee.
Children, including toddlers, were present at the worship event when the group of Antifa protesters began throwing projectiles, including eggs, a woman told a videographer at the scene.
“They threw a flash bomb at a group of children who were there,” she said.
A worshiper said a pastor approached to ask the group of protesters to stop, but was sprayed with pepper spray. The woman is seen witnessing the pastor’s eyes covered in an orange substance.
The Portland Tribune reported that members of the far-right group, Proud Boys, later descended on the worship event and clashed with Antifa members. Additional video released online by freelance journalist Andy Ngo shows the clashes on a street in the nearby town, and the alleged members of the Proud Boys, seen dressed in yellow and black clothing, fired a paintball gun at several members of Antifa.
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A Portland Police Bureau police car pulls up and flashes its siren – but apparently had no impact on stopping the confrontation. A man is heard shouting to the officer behind the wheel: “Do your job”.
Once the groups converged on the waterfront, a fight broke out but the confrontation there was “over before any police action took place,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Derek Carmon said. at KOIN. “As the groups left there was a report of another small fight which was over before the police responded. No arrests were made and no one came forward to report the crimes we are in on. running.”
“Police had no interaction with either group today,” Carmon added.
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Screenshots shared by Ngo showed that another Antifa-affiliated Twitter account later tweeted that the members threw the sound equipment into the Willamette River and stole sandwiches and water bottles belonging to the group. Christian – before then giving them back to the homeless.
