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PORTLAND, gold. – Protests by rival far-right and left-wing groups in Portland turned into violence on Sunday, as opposing sides engaged in clashes and at least one man was arrested for shooting a gun at Some protestors.
No one was hurt in a firefight and on Sunday night there was no word of injuries in many other skirmishes which saw opposing sides scuffle each other, spraying themselves with what appeared to be be bear spray and smash the windows of rival cars.
Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a briefing Friday that officers would not necessarily step in to break up the fighting between the groups.
But he added that “just because arrests aren’t made at the scene when tensions are high doesn’t mean people won’t be charged with crimes.”
Portland has become a magnet for clashes between political extremists since last year.
As recently as August 7, a black-clad antifa group and a group wearing the far-right Proud Boys colors exchanged pepper spray and paintballs after an outdoor religious meeting led by a pastor. conservative, local media reported. .
Sunday’s competing protests came on the anniversary of a turned violent clash between right-wing and left-wing crowds in downtown Portland, where a succession of street protests last year followed the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020.
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The clashes resulted in the shooting death of right-wing protester Aaron Danielson, 39, on August 29.
Suspected shooter Michael Reinoehl, a self-proclaimed 48-year-old anti-fascist activist who provided security for Black Lives Matter protesters, was shot dead by Washington State Police on September 4 as they sought to arrest him .
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