The Epoch Times A brawl between members of the Proud Boys and Antifa triggered a riot declaration and police intervention in Oregon City, Oregon, on Friday.
Video footage showed people wearing Proud Boys garb fighting with black-clad persons reported to be members of Antifa.
The Proud Boys are a fraternal group that described itself as anti-social justice warriors âwithout being alt-rightâ before its website went offline. Members of the group regularly fight with people who are part of Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist network.
Jim Band, the police chief in Oregon City, confirmed to The Epoch Times via email that fighting between Antifa and the Proud Boys triggered a riot declaration. The fight took place in Clackamette Park, which the Proud Boys had reserved and were given a permit to run a voter registration event.
About 50 people from each group arrived and shouted at each other before the situation devolved into blows, with some people wielding bats and other weapons.
Video footage from the scene showed people spraying pepper spray at others, and segments of the groups fighting with fists or weapons.
Oregon State Police officers assisted local police with intervening and breaking up the brawl. It was not clear if any arrests were made.
Zane Sparling, a reporter with the Portland Tribune, told KOIN 6 that the fighting reminded him of brawls that unfolded in Portland in 2019.
âWhat I saw today was Civil War 2.0,â Sparling said. âThis was open warfare between the left-wing Antifa and the right-wing Proud Boys.â
Oregon City is about 15 miles southeast of Portland.
Antifa is most active in Portland. Its members are sometimes confronted by members of Proud Boys and other groups.
Sparling reported that one Proud Boys leader, Flip Todd, shouted at the opposing group that âyou guys are Portland scumâ while âweâre from here.â
âYou made us be what we are. You created us,â Todd said.
Antifa members, meanwhile, carried various signs, including one that read âSave a life â kill a Nazi.â
âSomebody take care of these terrorists before I do,â one Antifa member said.
