Proud Boys in military gear gather for pro-Trump rally to 'end domestic terrorism' in Portland after Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency and the mayor said they are the 'greatest threat we've ever faced'
Proud Boys wearing military body armor have started gathering for a pro-Trump rally to 'end domestic terrorism' in Portland, after Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency and Mayor Ted Wheeler said it poses the 'greatest threat we've faced so far' amid fears of clashes with left-wing protesters.
Dozens of people waving MAGA flags and decked in Proud Boys merchandise arrived early for the right-wing rally Saturday that is expected to attract up to 20,000 who support the president and his 'law and order' reelection campaign.
The event, organized by the Proud Boys - which the Southern Poverty Law Center has called a hate group for its anti-Muslim, white supremacist stance - is taking place in a park about six miles north of downtown Portland.
Just two miles away, left-wing counter protesters are gathering in another park and police have canceled all officer leave in order to ramp up efforts to keep the two groups apart.
Black Lives Matter protesters have been taking to the streets of America since May demanding an end to police brutality and racism following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop.
Demonstrations erupted once again this week when a Kentucky grand jury decided to not bring murder charges against officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor - a black EMT who was shot six times and killed in a botched raid in March.
Portland has been the scene of much of the demonstrations and the Proud Boys vowed that their rally will restore law and order and condemn what they have branded anti-fascists, 'domestic terrorism' and 'violent gangs of rioting felons' in the city's streets.
Proud Boys wearing military body armor have started gathering for a pro-Trump rally to 'end domestic terrorism' in Portland, after Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency
A member of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has called a hate group for its anti-Muslim, white supremacist stance, has the group's name tattooed on his arm
Proud Boys and far-right groups kneel in prayer while clutching cans at the rally in an Oregon park Saturday
Dozens of people waving MAGA flags and decked in Proud Boys merchandise arrived early for the right-wing rally Saturday
The rally is expected to attract thousands who support the president and his 'law and order' reelection campaign
Some attendees carried signs reading 'Free Kyle Now' - a reference to Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Illinois teen charged with shooting dead two protesters and injuring another in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Shields are seen as people gather for the rally in Portland, Oregon, where Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency
Two hours before the event was to start, dozens of people began showing up, some packed into the beds of pickup trucks.
Almost everyone was wearing some sort of militarized body armor, including helmets and protective vests.
Many flew American flags or black flags bearing the logo of the Three Percenters, another far-right group and some wore Make America Great Again hats in a show of support for Trump.
Some attendees carried signs reading 'Free Kyle Now' - a reference to Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Illinois teen charged with shooting dead two protesters and injuring another in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
In their permit application for the event filed with the city this week, the Proud Boys referenced Rittenhouse and raised the specter of a vigilante response to the actions of a 'mob'.
'Portland leadership is unwilling to stop the violence,' the Proud Boys wrote in the application.
Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators started arriving two hours before the rally was due t start
A woman holds 'Kyle's Life Matters' signs, a parody on 'Black Lives Matter' and in reference to Rittenhouse
One protester holds up a banner saying 'Who killed Aaron 'Jay' Danielson?' Danielson was a Trump supporter and Patriot Prayer follower who was shot and killed at a protest in downtown Portland
Trump 2020 and MAGA merchandise was on sale at the event expected to draw around 20,000 attendees
Mayor Ted Wheeler said it poses the 'greatest threat we've faced so far' amid fears of clashes with left-wing protesters
Right-wing groups hold up signs with 'who killed...?' on and banners reading 'Kyle's Life Matters' about Rittenhouse
The event is expected to attract thousands who support the president and his 'law and order' reelection campaign
A woman clad in Trump 2020 merchandise and American flags smiles at the rally where some were armed with bats
Crowds began to gather for the event organized by the 'hate group' and extreme right-wing group Proud Boys
'They have been blinded by their hatred of our President and will not allow outside help stopping the violence.'
Prosecutors say Rittenhouse murdered two protesters and wounded a third in Kenosha on August 25.
His attorneys are portraying him as a courageous American patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest over the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake.
The permit application also mentioned Aaron 'Jay' Danielson, a Trump supporter and Patriot Prayer follower, who was shot and killed after some vehicles in a pro-Trump car caravan diverted into downtown Portland and crossed paths with left-wing activists.
The suspect in the shooting, a self-described anti-fascist, was killed the following week by law enforcement as they tried to arrest him in Washington state.
The Proud Boys have held multiple events in Portland since Trump's election alongside other right-wing groups such as Patriot Prayer that often end in violent clashes with left-wing counter-demonstrators.
The group has described Saturday's rally as a free speech event but local and state elected officials condemned it and rushed to shore up law enforcement ranks.
People wave flags at the rally that Mayor Ted Wheeler warned poses the 'greatest threat we have seen so far'
Clothing brand Fred Perry released a statement ahead of Saturday's rally saying it has 'absolutely nothing to do with us' as the Proud Boys have adopted the company's iconic black polo shirt with a yellow laurel as their uniform
A woman reacts to another person at the rally while men are seen sporting Proud Boys shirts
The event is taking place in a park about six miles north of downtown Portland. Just two miles away, left-wing counter protesters are gathering in another park
A right-wing demonstrator wears body armor reading 'I hate the left n racism' at Saturday's event
Police have canceled all officer leave in order to ramp up efforts to keep the right-wing groups and left-wing groups apart
Portland has been the scene of much of the demonstrations and the Proud Boys vowed that their rally will restore law and order
People embrace as they gather for the rally that has led Governor Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency
The Proud Boys have held multiple events in Portland since Trump's election alongside other right-wing groups
The group has described Saturday's rally as a free speech event but local and state elected officials condemned it and rushed to shore up law enforcement ranks
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio said 'they will be peaceful unless provoked'
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio said his group did not intend to cause violence.
'We will be peaceful unless provoked. I encourage people to protest us,' Tarrio wrote on Twitter on Thursday. 'What we won't condone or tolerate is violence towards attendees.'
The men-only Proud Boys group describes itself as a fraternal organization that is 'anti-racism' and 'anti-political correctness.'
Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Friday declared a state of emergency over the weekend due to risks of violence because of the rally involving thousands of members of what she called 'white supremacist groups'.
'I am incredibly concerned about the increased risk of violence in Portland this weekend,' Brown told reporters.
'These types of demonstrations in the past have often ended in fistfights, and sometimes escalated to bloodshed.'
Brown also noted, 'The Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer groups have come to Portland time and time again from out of state looking for a fight and the results are always tragic.
She then added a warning to the group.
'Let me be perfectly clear: We will not tolerate any kind of violence this weekend. Those stoking the flames of violence, those coming to Portland looking for a fight will be held accountable,' Brown said.
Under her emergency declaration, state troopers and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will lead a law enforcement taskforce authorized to use 'proportional force' including tear gas to keep the peace, said Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown (in 2019) declared a state of emergency in Portland over fears of violence between BLM protesters and Proud Boys during a right-wing rally Saturday
Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler said Saturday's arrival of the Proud Boys and other extreme right-wing groups poses the 'greatest threat we've faced so far'.
'The alt-right and white supremacist groups organising to come to Portland on Saturday present the greatest threat we've faced so far,' he said in a statement.
'These groups embody and empower racism, intolerance and hate. Those are not Portland values, and they are not welcome here.
'Hate has no home in Portland. They have actively threatened violence against elected officials and others in our community.'
Civil rights group The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Proud Boys as a hate group, citing its members' anti-Muslim and misogynist rhetoric.
'Saturday's rally is the latest in a long series of sustained provocations that the Proud Boys have held in Portland,' SPLC research analyst Cassie Miller said in a statement on Friday.
Police are seen rushing towards BLM protesters after a petrol bomb was thrown at the Portland Police Bureau on September 23, following the Breonna Taylor grand jury decision
Local and federal police are seen heading towards protesters on September 23 in Portland
Portland protesters are seen taking cover from smoke during the September 23 demonstration
The FBI has also warned of the dangers the group brings to national security, with FBI director Christopher Wray in February comparing 'racially motivated violent extremism', particularly from white nationalists, to the threat of Isis and other foreign terror groups.
Clothing brand Fred Perry released a statement ahead of Saturday's rally saying it has 'absolutely nothing to do with us, and we are working with our lawyers to pursue any unlawful use of our brand.'
The Proud Boys adopted the company's iconic black polo shirt with a yellow laurel as their uniform leading Fred Perry to pull sales of the style out of America.
President Donald Trump, who has made law and order a principal theme of his bid for re-election on November 3, has singled out Portland as one of several Democratic-led cities he calls 'anarchist jurisdictions.'
His Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, says Trump's rhetoric is stoking the violence.