For weeks, police and local politicians have been urging protesters not to show up at all and those who inevitably arrive to be peaceful. They were concerned that the rally could result in a melee like one June 29, when a conservative writer was assaulted by black-clad protesters.
Many of the far-right demonstrators support a bill sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, urging Congress to identify Antifa, short for anti-fascist, as a domestic terrorist group.
President Donald Trump signaled Saturday morning that he may support the bill and that he was keeping an eye on the dueling protests.
The rally is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., followed by a march through the city. Here’s what to expect.
Which groups are expected to attend?
Far-right groups, including members of the anti-government militia known as the Three Percenters, congregated at the south end of the park Saturday morning. Some of those members wore body armor and helmets, and at least one had a visible pocketknife and pepper spray, which he said were to be used “as a last resort.”
The most vocal promoter of the rally is Joe Biggs, who used to work for conservative conspiracy outlet Infowars. Biggs said he had organized the rally in response to the beating of conservative writer Andy Ngo in the clashes in June.
Many have blamed Antifa for the beating, which was captured on video. No one has been charged in connection with the assault, which police are continuing to investigate.
Antifa is a loose group composed mostly of leftists or anarchists who advocate the use of violence to shut down what they see as racist or fascist ideas. Its supporters often show up to rallies wearing masks, helmets and other protective gear.
Rose City Antifa, which is based in Portland and is one of the oldest and most organized Antifa groups, has encouraged its followers to attend the rally.
Some Antifa members gathered further north from the far-right groups Saturday, wearing masks and gloves.
Law enforcement officials were establishing their presence early, seizing flagpoles and shields from both sides.
Among the other far-right groups planning to attend are the Proud Boys, an all-male group whose members sometimes share racist or misogynist ideas and who have fought with protesters before.
Portland police will use ‘whatever means necessary’ to curb violence.
Portland officials are anxious about the groups’ planned convergence at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
“To those people planning to come and inflict violence in our city: We don’t want you here,” Ted Wheeler, the mayor, said in a recorded admonishment this month. He warned that police would use “whatever means necessary” to uphold the law.
The Portland Police Bureau has requested assistance from state and federal law enforcement agencies. Local police have been in touch with some of the organizations that plan to join the demonstration but have not received a permit from any group, Lt. Tina Jones, a spokeswoman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Friday.
Police and the mayor have repeatedly said they are not targeting any political group but rather are seeking to stop violence perpetrated by people of any viewpoint.
Joey Gibson, the leader of another conservative group, Patriot Prayer, which has organized similar rallies in the past, turned himself in to the Portland police Friday after being charged with rioting in another clash in May.
Two members of the Proud Boys are on trial in New York after being charged with attempted assault in an attack on people believed to be members of Antifa. The Proud Boys also hosted a free speech rally in Washington, D.C., in June, during which Antifa protesters clashed with police and some conservative demonstrators.
What would it mean to call Antifa a domestic terrorist organization?
The Antifa bill from Cassidy and Cruz is largely symbolic; there is no government list designating groups as domestic terrorist organizations, and the bill does not call on any federal agency to create one. It says simply that groups operating “under the banner of Antifa” should be labeled domestic terrorists.
The bill also asks the federal government to “redouble its efforts” to oppose domestic terrorism, including by white supremacists, and calls on the Senate to express “the need for the peaceful communication of varied ideas in the United States.”
The massacre in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month, in which a gunman killed 22 people, brought renewed calls for the creation of a law specifically outlawing domestic terrorism after police said the gunman had written a racist, anti-Latino manifesto.
While there is a federal crime outlawing “acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries,” there is no crime for domestic terrorism. People who are identified by police as domestic terrorists can be prosecuted for violating state or federal laws.
Why does this keep happening in Portland?
Opposing groups have faced off in Portland several times in recent years. Sometimes the protests turn violent.
Now used to the mayhem, residents and event planners in the city have prepared accordingly. A 5K run has been moved from one side of the Willamette River to the other to avoid the protest, and police posted a map on Twitter identifying a dozen other events that they said would not be affected by the demonstration.
Rallies are so common in Portland in part because it is a hub for anarchists and radical political groups, drawn to the city’s reputation of upholding the rights to free speech and protest.
“We’re proud of our defense of these core American values,” Wheeler, the mayor, said in the video earlier this month. He repeatedly stressed, however, that the city did not want groups coming from out of town to stoke tensions.
Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys chairman, said Friday that he thought the city had created an environment in which leftist protesters could get away with violence, which is in part why conservatives chose to host the anti-Antifa protest in Portland. He added that his group planned to be peaceful unless its members were in imminent danger.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.