Police in Portland, Oregon, arrested 14 people Sunday during dueling demonstrations attended by supporters of President Trump, anti-fascist protesters, and residents concerned about hate speech.
Hundreds of people attended the "Trump Free Speech" rally at Terry D. Schrunk Plaza, CNN reports, and even more counter-protesters gathered across the street. Police say at first, the two sides yelled expletives at each other, then counter-protesters started to throw glass bottles and bricks at the officers, who responded by using pepper spray.
Tensions in the city have been high since three men were stabbed last week, two fatally, on a light-rail train by a man who was allegedly yelling anti-Muslim statements at two young women. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler had unsuccessfully requested that the permit be revoked for the free-speech rally, saying, "I'm a strong supporter of the First Amendment no matter what the views are that are being expressed, but given the timing of this rally, I believed we had a case to make about the threats to public safety." Organizer Joey Gibson noted that the protest was planned before the murders, said he is not racist or a member of the alt-right movement, and argued that the rally was not in support of stabbing suspect Jeremy Christian.
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