The concussive crack of stun grenades echoed through the streets of downtown Portland Saturday as groups on opposing sides of the political spectrum took to the streets. But despite weeks of heated rhetoric, the protest — which was organized by right-wing Patriot Prayer and countered by groups on the left — resulted in little violence between the two groups, reports the Oregonian. The protest, billed as a rally for free speech and campaign event for Joey Gibson, the leader of Patriot Prayer and Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Vancouver, Wash., saw hundreds of his supporters, many of whom came from out of state, bussed in from across the border decked out in helmets, crash pads and shields festooned with the Confederate battle flag.
They were met by counter-protesters from a coalition of organizations on the left including a group called Popular Mobilization, which formed recently specifically to counter Gibson’s protest, another group dressed up as clowns and a cadre of antifascist activists commonly known as antifa. Police kept the groups separated–close enough to hurl insults, but too far to throw punches. The biggest dust-up came when police in riot gear ordered a group of counter-protesters to disperse around 2 p.m. Officers used flash-bang grenades and rushed the crowd, shoving some protesters out of the street. Some projectiles were thrown at police, one of which hit Eder Campuzano, an Oregonian reporter. Several people claimed injuries, and Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said Sunday each claim would be investigated.