#Portland cops stand by as groups of protesters clash with guns, smoke bombs

Enlarge Image

Right wing groups, left, and Portland anti-police protesters fire pepper spray and throw objects at each other in Portland
Getty Images

Portland police stood by for more than two hours Saturday as alt-right and anti-police protestors faced off with guns, smoke bombs and even liquid-filled condoms during the 86th consecutive day of unrest in the Oregon city.

The melee broke out as about 100 far-right activists, including members of the Proud Boys, staged a “Back the Blue” rally in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center — and were met with counter-protestors that included members of the anti-fascist group Antifa, the Washington Post reported.

But even though police described it as a riot, cops kept their distance and did not intervene.

“Each skirmish appeared to involve willing participants and the events were not enduring in time, so officers were not deployed to intervene,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.

“PPB members have been the focus of over 80 days of violent actions directed at the police, which is a major consideration for determining if police resources are necessary to interject between two groups with individuals who appear to be willingly engaging in physical confrontations for short durations,” the statement said.

“While the activity in the group met the definition of a riot, PPB did not declare one because there were not adequate police resources available to address such a declaration,” the department said.

Police said both sides were armed — the far-right group with paintball guns, metal rods, and aluminum bats, the anti-police crowd with rocks, fireworks, and bottles filled with chemicals, the outlet said.

Cops later confiscated a bucket filled with “condoms filled with an unknown fluid” and a water bottle filled with was police believe was urine,” the department said in a Twitter post. Another video shows a member of the pro-police group pointing a gun at protestors.

A video posted on Twitter captured a woman being punched and knocked to the ground by a protestor identified as a member of the Proud Boys.

But police said there was violence from both sides, with anti-police demonstrators hurling rocks and other objects against the pro-police group.

“We are investigating criminal acts when we are aware of them and ask for any victims to come forward so we can build the best case we can for enhanced outcomes of prosecution,” Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement, Fox News reported.