The Patriot Prayer rally in Portland turns to blood; American flag saved from the flames

Members of opposing groups clashed fiercely in downtown Portland, Oregon, Saturday night, at a well-known protest event for "law and order."

Participants in the conservative group Patriot Prayer and opponents of Antifa mingled in a bloody scrum in front of a popular bar where members of both sides were fighting, fists and clubs, the Oregonian reported.

Police fired chilli balls and other non-lethal impact munitions to disperse the fighting and no arrests were reported immediately. Earlier in the evening, police reported seeing participants from both groups with gloves, knives and firearms.

No weapons were seized. Authorities reported that four people received medical treatment but were not taken to a hospital.

The two groups have already clashed in the city.

The march, dubbed "Lightning Walk for Law and Order in PDX", was organized by Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson in response to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's monitoring of the Department of Justice. police of the city. (PDX is the abbreviation of Portland International Airport, sometimes used as shorthand for the city.)

The Patriots' prayer group met around 6 pm. near Pioneer Courthouse Square and crossed the city center with a sign stating "Replace PDX Mayor!

The violence erupted after Gibson and about three dozen people waving American flags and chanting patriotic chants headed for a commemorative street monument for Patrick Kimmons, 27, a black man shot by Portland police on the month latest.

At the vigil, they were greeted by counter-protesters chanting "Black Lives Matter". The fighting broke out 20 minutes later.

The video posted shows a protester lighting an American flag on fire. Seconds later, someone catches the flag and extinguishes the flames.

Saturday's violence took place in the midst of a series of clashes between rival political factions that drew the country's attention.

Gibson called for Saturday's march in response to the October 6 incident, in which a 74-year-old driver ran into a group protesting police brutality. The police department was scrutinized for what critics viewed as a passive approach to the event.

"It's not political, it's just not true," reads the Facebook page of the event. "It's a lack of respect not only for the law, but only for other humans."

In a video of the incident turned viral, the protesters block traffic and direct it when the motorist passes through a group of protesters, and then goes at full speed. Some protesters join him and start pounding the car before the driver leaves.

The driver later said that he did not want to hurt, he just wanted to get away from the protest, reported Fox News.