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Protests in Portland, Oregon turn violent as anti-fascists, white nationalists clash

It is the latest in a series of clashes across the United States in the past year between the far-right and left-wing activists.

Rally organizer Joey Gibson (center) and right-wing demonstrators hold a rally supporting gun rights and free speech on August 4, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. The rally was organized by the group Patriot Prayer, also attended by the affiliated group Proud Boys, which drew counter protesters and members of the anti-fascist group Antifa.  CREDIT: Karen Ducey/ Getty Images
Rally organizer Joey Gibson (center) and right-wing demonstrators hold a rally supporting gun rights and free speech on August 4, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. The rally was organized by the group Patriot Prayer, also attended by the affiliated group Proud Boys, which drew counter protesters and members of the anti-fascist group Antifa. CREDIT: Karen Ducey/ Getty Images

Protests in Portland, Oregon turned violent Saturday, as hundreds of white nationalist demonstrators clashed with antifascist activists.

The Associated Press reported that police deployed “flash bang” devices to try to disperse the demonstration. The AP said there were an undetermined number of arrests after rocks, bottles and other projectiles were hurled at police. Police ordered demonstrators to disperse as they struggled to keep opposing camps of protesters apart.

Saturday’s violence is just the latest of several confrontations over the past year between far-right factions and and left wing activists across the United States.

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The best known such conflict took place nearly one year ago, when white nationalists gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia and were met by throngs of anti-facists. That so-called Unite the Right protest, which marks its one-year anniversary next weekend, claimed the life of a young woman, anti-fascist activist Heather Heyer.

 

The rally in Oregon is the latest in a series of demonstrations organized by the group Patriot Prayer, led by longshot Senate candidate Joey Gibson.  Other rallies staged by the group have essentially served as fronts for far-right groups to face off with and goad counter-protesters, often with violent results. Their numbers were bolstered by the Proud Boys, another far-right group.

On June 30, a Patriot Prayer rally devolved into a riot when Gibson’s supporters brawled with anti-fascist counter-protesters. Police eventually arrested nine people.