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When the Portland Timbers announced in May that its fans could no longer fly banners bearing an antifascist symbol, the raucous Timbers Army was quick to voice its opposition.
Last Friday, Aug. 23, the Timbers Army remained silent for the first 33 minutes of the Timbers' game against the Seattle Sounders in protest of the ban on flags with the Iron Front—a circle encompassing three arrows
Related: "You Guys Fucked the Team Tonight": Timbers Owner Squabbles With Silent Fans.
But the latest protest comes in liquid form.
Cider Riot announced today that it is releasing a new Tres Flechas (three arrows) mezcal barrel-aged cider "to honor those standing up against Major League Soccer's ban on the Iron Front symbol."
The company plans to donate some of the proceeds from the cider's sale to Portland's Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.
"When we were getting ready to release our mezcal barrel-aged cider, I thought why not honor those standing up for human rights," Cider Riot founder Abram Goldman-Armstrong said in a statement. "The Timbers Army has a long history of standing up against racism, fascism, and bigotry, with a policy of zero tolerance for intolerance since its inception in 2001."
Goldman-Armstrong is a member of the Timbers Army and arguably the most vocal antifascist business owner in Portland. He flew a large yellow flag with the Iron Front symbol at the Aug. 23 game. And his bar is at the center of one of the highest-profile criminal cases in Portland. Six far-right organizers were indicted for attacking antifascists at Cider Riot on May 1.
Related: Joey Gibson, Five Others Formally Indicted for May 1 Melee at Northeast Portland Bar.
Cider Riot's Tres Flechas is part of a line of experimental ciders in the cidery's Blac Bloc series. There will only be 30 cases available, and people can pick up bottles at the cidery in Portland and Seattle and at select bottle shops beginning at 6 pm tonight.