Live blog from antifascist mobilization in Portland, Oregon. This page will be updated throughout the day, refresh for updates. Check livestream from Unicorn Riot here. Cover photo used with permission from Brendan O’Connor.
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Here’s Portland. Hundreds marching on Patriot Prayer and proud boys. Here we go. #DefendPDX #Alloutpdx pic.twitter.com/ga92VLippy
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
10 AM (PST): Patriot Prayer attendees begin to gather to head from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon. Several attendees of the neo-Nazi demonstration Unite the Right in Charlotteville, 2017 are spotted among the crowd. Many militia members have Confederate flag patches. At one point, Patriot Prayer members refused to enter Waterfront park because they did not want to give up their guns to a weapons search.
https://twitter.com/OrBeLoud_IGuess/status/1025808521454018560
11 AM (PST): Hundreds have gathered outside of city hall for the Pop Mob, or Popular Mobilization.
https://twitter.com/Kherman112/status/1025809344560947200
11:20 AM (PST): Unicorn Riot live on the scene doing a livestream. Interviewed one Patriot Prayer rally goer who stated that Unite the Right was a “conservative” event, and brushed aside the fact that people that were at Unite the Right were at the rally. Far-Right rally goes have not entered the “protest” area in order to hold onto their guns. A contingent of antifascists is gathered across the street of far-Right rally.
The PopMob (unions, DSA, ISO, etc) and antifa formations are much larger than Patriot Prayer’s crew, though people are still filtering in for each pic.twitter.com/wIlA0XDRTu
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018
11: 35 AM (PST): Police threatening to arrest people in the streets by the water front. Unicorn Riot reports that police are talking heavily and working with members of the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer. More people coming down to the water. Unicorn Riot reports that riot police are now on the scene.
11: 40 AM (PST): Riot police have now blocked the street, with riot police deploying on both sides of the street separating the two sides. Pop Mob rally still at City Hall, Patriot Prayer rally at water front.
Here they come pic.twitter.com/8xc0KSnyvs
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018
11: 45 AM (PST): Pop Mob mobilization moving to the water front. Police start to request that the Patriot Prayer to move into the fenced area.
11: 47 AM (PST): Riot poilce heard on Unicorn Riot livestream saying they will attack the antifascist march that just arrived at water front park with projectile weapons. Unicorn Riot reports that “at least a thousand people” just arrived on the antifascist side.
A single line of riot cops on each curb separates the two groups pic.twitter.com/7PiBCVA7DE
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018
11: 55 AM (PST): Up to 1,000 people from antifascist bloc and Pop Mob have arrived at water front to join other protesters. Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys, almost all made up from people out of town, number significantly less, at around 200 or so according to sources on the ground.
Two sides are standing across the road from each other with a police barricades separating them. Patriot Prayer is hurtling slurs while protesters chant and play music. Counter demonstrators outnumber by many times. pic.twitter.com/TkhDwBrH7n
— Shane Burley (@shane_burley1) August 4, 2018
12: 11 PM (PST): Unicorn Riot reports that some of the Patriot Prayer group seem to have moved closer to the water. According to sources on the ground, the Patriot Prayer side numbers about 200, made up almost entirely of out of town people. Unicorn Riot reports that “police have whole situation locked down.” One attempt by Patriot Prayer rally goer to cross the street, but individual was quickly rebuffed. Unicorn Riot livestreamer places the number of antifascist protesters at around 2,000.
Like at previous fascist demonstrations, seems like anti-fascists brought a much louder sound system #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/SV12EBkvGi
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
12: 15 PM (PST): Joey Gibson finally arrives at his own rally. Tells people to have them wait at water front because 200 more Patriot Prayer supporters are on their way to meet them.
Chants of “Union workers here to say, Nazi thugs not your day!” #AllOutPDX
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
12: 24 PM (PST): Shane Burley reports: “Police are now threatening dispersal weapons and ordering for dispersal of counter protesters. They say they have seen weapons, I have seen no weapons. No one is leaving it appears.”
12: 31 PM (PST): Police continue to call for counter-demonstrators to leave the area. NYC Antifa writes:
While the police give patriot prayer and proud boys “options” for keeping their weapons and allow them to congregate while refusing to abide their own permit, they will threaten and use violence against antifascists and people standing up to white supremacy and hate.
Police are ordering protesters to leave the area as antifascist union members lead a chant of “Same struggle, same fight, workers of the world unite” pic.twitter.com/0uSiPd9PlT
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018
12:35 PM (PST): Both sides seem to be moving now, Patriot Prayer appears to be starting to march, antifascists behind them. Police continue to threaten antifascist side with arrest. Claim they have seen weapons, while they are protecting and facilitating far-Right rally filled with people armed to the teeth. Patriot Prayer also still has not gone into their protest zone, which would mean that they would have to go through police search.
Anti-fascists have chanted the names of Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, two men killed by white supremacist Jeremy Christian last year.
Christian had once attended a Patriot Prayer rally.
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
12: 58 PM (PST): Unicorn Riot stream back up. Both sides still separated with riot police continuing to form lines in the street. Unicorn Riot points out that more riot police facing the antifascist side than the far-Right side.
https://twitter.com/katemshepherd/status/1025838025299775488
1: 19 PM (PST): Police being telling protesters to again get on the sidewalk. Unicorn Riot reports that it seems unclear as to what is going on. Both sides still separated by lines of riot police. Reports of Joey Gibson trying to go to antifascist side. Police claim they are going to open the area to vehicles.
Seems like some sort of confrontation happened, Gibson came back across the street pic.twitter.com/QjfD5PKJ1X
— Hannah Boufford (@hannahboufford) August 4, 2018
1: 30 PM (PST): Patriot Prayer march takes off.
https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/1025840971919978496
1: 35 PM (PST): Patriot Prayer on the march now, with larger antifascist march following behind them. Police are in the middle.
Both Patriot Prayer and #DefendPDX heading south on Naito, #Portland Police keeping groups separate. #liveonk2 pic.twitter.com/qnmx6rkVNI
— Tristan Fortsch (@tristanCF) August 4, 2018
Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer on the move along the river. Anti-fascists follow from across the steeet. Cops running inbetween. pic.twitter.com/ytV4wul88w
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Calls for “PB” to “form a perimeter.” pic.twitter.com/Fiqwqf9JhT
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/1025842418531201024
Apparently this group is still chasing the right-wingers. #defendPDX #alloutpdx pic.twitter.com/kdDCxEyOBh
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
Some traffic resuming between protest groups #AllOutPDX #DefendPDX #AllOutAugust
— TorchAntifaNetwork (@TorchAntifa) August 4, 2018
1: 38 PM (PST): Patriot Prayer rally has stopped marching. Now giving speeches.
https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/1025843285103763456
https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/1025843944460976129
Lots of antifa still on patrol in downtown Portland. #AlloutPDX #DefendPDX pic.twitter.com/RfGitwz1f5
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
1: 54 PM (PST): Police have started to attack the antifascist protest with flash bang grenades.
PPD firing flash bangs at antifa protest
— spencer sunshine (@transform6789) August 4, 2018
1: 57 PM (PST): Police begin to heavily launch projectiles at antifascist counter protest. Police are saying that people must disperse or be arrested.
Cops have deployed insanely loud flash bangs and pepper spray at anti-fascists. pic.twitter.com/fWGzIKG3eF
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
Breaking: Portland Police using flash grenades on antifa. #DefendPDX #AlloutPDX. Part 1 pic.twitter.com/pA1Q7OVtzc
— Mike Bivins (@itsmikebivins) August 4, 2018
2: 05 PM (PST): Police are charging streets, beating people, and making violent arrests. Unicorn Riot reports “the escalation came from the police.” Police are going up street by street, pushing people back, making a bigger perimeter for the Patriot Prayer rally.
LIVE — Police have been firing riot control weapons after police escalated against the antiracist crowd – have been periodically pushing people back about a block at a time, at least one arrest in last few mins https://t.co/E1raAbOi60 pic.twitter.com/HJFgpaRT2E
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) August 4, 2018
2: 30 PM (PST): Police have made a dispersal order, declaring that they will arrest anyone in the streets that does not disperse. People seem to be moving back to the water front.
Police have declared a “civil disturbance” and are ordering both sides to disperse or face arrest or riot control agents and impact weapons.”
“All people must disperse.” #AllOutPDX pic.twitter.com/BLd9B5JBBt
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 4, 2018
3: 00 PM (PST): Patriot Prayer regrouped and held rally where they thanked police for attacking the other side. Proud Boys leaving parking garage pepper spray protesters.
Proud Boys in a truck just sprayed bear mace at antifa blocking their way, leaving a street full of coughing, tearing people behind pic.twitter.com/nt6uEYREAK
— Brendan O'Connor (@_grendan) August 4, 2018