Arrests and shields, bear spray, metal poles seized at Portland protests
Source: Associated Press
Arrests and shields, metal poles seized at Portland protests
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
August 17, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Police arrested 13 people and seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons Saturday as hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon.
Authorities closed bridges and streets to try to keep the rival groups apart. The citys mayor said the situation was potentially dangerous and volatile, and President Donald Trump tweeted Portland is being watched very closely.
As of early afternoon, most of the right-wing groups had left the area via a downtown bridge. Police used officers on bikes and in riot gear to keep black clad, helmet and mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters known as antifa from following them.
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Late in the morning, flag-waving members of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters militia group and others gathered downtown, some also wearing body armor and helmets. Police said they had seized the weapons, including shields, from multiple groups as they assembled along the Willamette River, which runs through the city.
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Read more:
https://apnews.com/472a99b78f214e00b96f0b03776b1a28