Portland police report weapons at demonstrations

A small demonstration called #HimToo organized by the far-right group Patriot Prayer was greeted by hundreds of counter-protesters in Portland on Saturday, reported KOIN, a CBS Portland affiliate. The demonstrations were supposed to be peaceful, but the clashes began when the groups began to disperse.

Portland police said six people were arrested.

Portland police tweeted around 5 pm PT that officers had observed protesters with weapons. "If the protesters use weapons, you are subject to citations, arrests and possibly the use of force," tweeted the Portland police.

Police also reported that glass bottles had been thrown away. Tear gas and explosives exploded as the crowd marched through the streets chanting "Nazis, go home!" Police in riot gear arrived at various locations to keep protesters on the sidewalks, reports KOIN.

The Social Democrats of America in Portland organized the first rally, which began around 11:30 am The Portland DSA tweeted that they were coming "alongside the survivors and against the oppressors, fascists out of our city! "

"The only thing that beats the Fascists is a larger crowd of antifascists," said Emily Golden-Fields, co-chair of the Portland DSA, at the first rally of the day.

They traveled to Chapman Square, where they met Popular Mobilizations for a rally called #SupportersAreEverywhere, according to Oregonian / OregonLive.

These rallies ended around 1:30 pm, while antifa supporters dressed in their hooded sweaters, black masks and hundreds of others lingered along the sidewalks as the police announced several times loudspeakers, reports KOIN.

These demonstrations were intended to counter the rally scheduled for 14 hours. #HimToo Plaza, led by activists of the far-right Patriot Prayer group, is located across the street, at the Terry Schrunk Plaza.

At the #HimToo rally, Joey Gibson and his sidekick Tusitala "Minuscule", of Patriot Prayer, talked and danced. KOIN reports that there were no more than 75 people at the protest.

"One of the things I think most about is equality," Gibson said. "We believe that everyone has the same opportunities, we are looking at allegations and evidence."

Various stakeholders said that men were constantly eclipsed and that their experiences mattered little. President Christopher Foster urged people to "join us in the fight for men's rights and women's responsibility".

Another speaker with a southern accent told KOIN that he had made the trip from Arkansas to speak at the #HimToo rally. While claiming that he had not prepared a speech, he stood up against the "cabal of Democratic women" and defended Roy Moore.

Saturday's protests took place just three days after an ordinance to regulate the protests was slaughtered by Portland City Council. Mayor Ted Wheeler has proposed to regulate the timing, location and modalities of potentially violent protests, according to KOIN.