Portland Police Gear Up for Antifa, Right-Wing Protests

An Antifascist activist throws a bottle at police officers during a rally against an elect
PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

All hands are on deck – including the state police and FBI – for planned protests expected to take place Saturday in Portland, Oregon.

The rally – dubbed “The End of Domestic Terrorism” – will take place in the city Saturday and is expected to draw Antifa counterprotesters. One of the organizers of the event, Joe Biggs, said he helped organize it as a response to the violent Antifa protests that broke out in the city on June 29, which resulted in the hospitalization of journalist and editor of Quillette, Andy Ngo:

“That group of antifa there in Portland needs to be exposed for who they are,” Biggs told the Associated Press Tuesday. “And guess what? They should be scared.”

A strong police presence is expected, with the city’s police force reportedly receiving additional support from the Oregon State Police and FBI, according to Fox News. Many other departments remain on standby:

As Fox News reported:

A 5K race scheduled for Saturday was moved to avoid any violence, and an Irish bar that’s a city institution canceled an amateur boxing event that expected 500 spectators. Other businesses plan to close on one of the last weekends of the city’s peak tourist season.

One rally is being organized by a member of the controversial Proud Boys. Others are expected to include members of the American Guard, the Three Percenters, the Oathkeepers and the Daily Stormers.

Ngo tweeted a warning Friday of the potential violent clashes, noting their “potential to be a powder keg.”

“Tomorrow’s antifa vs. right-wing protests have the potential to be a powder keg. The event looms in the shadow of recent mass shootings by the antifa & far-right ideologues,” he wrote. “Police seem to be at a breaking point”:

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