Police flood streets of Portland, Oregon, amid stand-off between Proud Boys, Antifa groups
Updated
Police in the US state of Oregon have seized a number of weapons as hundreds of far-right protesters and counter demonstrators rally in the city of Portland.
Key points:
- The Proud Boys want Antifa named a domestic terrorist organisation
- Donald Trump tweeted that he was considering naming Antifa an "organisation of terror"
- Police seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons from protesters
The far-right rally has been organised by the Proud Boys, classified by a major US civil rights organisation as a hate group.
It says the aim of gathering is to press for the anti-fascist group Antifa to be declared a domestic terror organisation.
Police set up concrete barriers and closed streets and bridges in an effort to contain and separate the rival groups, after seizing metal poles, bear spray, shields and other weapons.
The city's mayor said the situation was "potentially dangerous and volatile" but as of early afternoon, local time, most of the right-wing groups had left the area via a downtown bridge and police used officers on bikes and in riot gear to keep black-clad, helmeted and mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters from following them.
Police said they arrested at least three people. Hundreds of people remained on downtown streets.
Flag-waving members of the Proud Boys and Three Percenters militia group gathered late in the morning, some also wearing body armour and helmets.
Police said they had seized the weapons from multiple groups as they assembled along the Willamette River, which runs through the city.
More than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city.
Portland Police said all of the city's 1,000 officers would be on duty for the gathering, which was hyped on social media and elsewhere for weeks.
In the days leading up the event, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said people who espoused hate or engaged in violence were "not welcome."
In a Saturday morning tweet, US President Donald Trump said "major consideration" was being given to naming Antifa "an organisation of terror".
But it wasn't immediately clear what he meant by that as there's no mechanism for the United States government to declare a domestic organisation a terror group.
The State Department maintains a list of designated foreign terrorist organisations, such as Al Qaeda, but there is no comparable designation or list for American groups.
