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After several largely peaceful May Day protests, a large street fight broke out Wednesday evening in front of Cider Riot, a Northeast Portland bar where some black-clad antifascist protesters had gathered for an afterparty.
A group of people with close tied to local far-right group Patriot Prayer approached the group of left-wing protesters who had filled tables in an outdoor seating area for a party promoted by Rose City Antifa.
Video of the confrontation shows the two groups exchanged angry words. Someone standing near the Patriot Prayer group sprayed the black-clad antifascists with pepper spray. A person standing with the Antifa crowd immediately fired back, spraying several of the right-wing men with pepper spray.
Video by Mike Bivins.
A scuffle ensued, with people from both groups lobbing rocks and garbage from the tables. Some of the men squared up for semi-coordinated fist fights. They shook hands after sparring.
Police say they received information that a woman had been knocked out, but could not locate her. Another video circulated Thursday shows a woman being picked up from the pavement after being knocked unconscious, and carried away from the chaotic scene by antifascist comrades.
The violence likely violated several Oregon laws because, as WW reported in March, mutual combat is not a defense against assault charges. It is just the latest brawl between antifascists and the far-right.
Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer, has said he comes to Portland specifically to bait left-leaning protesters. His group circled the edges of May Day protests all day, filming for their social media followers, but did not successfully provoke a violent clash until they confronted the group at the bar.
Portland police said Thursday they are asking assault victims to come forward and file police reports. Officers will also be reviewing video of the incident to identify people involved and evaluate whether they can make arrests for criminal activity.