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Dueling protest groups clashed near the grounds of the Oregon Capitol Building on Sunday afternoon. Police tried to separate the groups, but skirmishes broke out in the surrounding blocks.
In a particularly volatile moment, a man was taken into police custody after confronting a crowd with a gun. Others were arrested when police ordered the crowd to disperse.
Right-wing protesters first gathered in Sandy for a “freedom rally” with the intention of going to the Capitol. A flyer for the event said they had planned a “wave of the flag to honor those who fought for our freedoms.”
The plans attracted more than 150 counter-demonstrators, who arrived on Capitol Hill hours earlier. They presented their rally as “direct action against a fascist event”.
Crowds bombarded passing trucks – some sporting a combination of American, Thin Blue Line, and Trump flags – with paint and items that in some cases smashed windows. Police said the rally was an illegal gathering, telling the crowd to disperse.
The Salem Police Department, meanwhile, said they turned back the arriving trailer from Sandy. But small groups nonetheless clashed in the vicinity of the Capitol, chased by local and state police in tactical armor.
A few blocks from the Capitol, a man in a truck hit by flying objects got out of the vehicle and pulled out a gun.
A nearby policeman ordered the man to get to the ground. Other police arrived, pushing back the crowd as the man was handcuffed and his truck, decorated with American flags, was searched.
In other clashes, protesters used pepper sprays.
Police repeatedly ordered crowds to leave the area and return home. Dozens of officers could be seen in the city center, responding to one confrontation after another.
The Salem Police Department and Oregon State Police had issued a notice ahead of the weekend’s events.
“Causing physical harm to others, damaging property or deliberately blocking streets are unacceptable situations which will be dealt with to ensure the safety of the community as much as possible,” said the notice.
A small group of right-wing armed protesters gathered on Capitol Hill on January 17 as part of a national day of protests within the state which, for the most part, did not materialize. Counter-demonstrators showed up, but the groups did not clash.
Protesters also demonstrated on Capitol Hill on January 6, the same day a crowd supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC Counter-protesters arrived in Salem hours after the rally began. local, and clashes erupted before police appeared and declared the gathering illegal.
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