Supporters of the men-only Proud Boys, which describes itself as a fraternal club of “Western chauvinists” who are “anti-racism,” traveled from across the nation to participate.
This man, who said he is a veteran from Florida, said he attend in hopes that members of the left-wing Antifa would be drawn out to protest.
“Just to bring awareness to Antifa. You know look at it: we came in. We just did a march peacefully. We went in, planted our flag, came back out, and they’re chasing us right now. I mean, it sort of shows you who’s the thug and who isn’t. You know, everyone hypes us up to be these bad guys and we came here and trolled the hell out of everyone. We had a good time, said a prayer, said the national anthem and then rolled out. That’s always been the plan,” he said.
Connor, a Portland-area resident who rallied against the Proud Boys, said the group was propagating “hate speech” which was not welcome in his city.
“We’re going to make sure that they know, every time they come here, they’re going to get the response they want, but it’s not going to be a violent one,” he said. “We’re going to march them out of this city every time it takes until they’re gone and stop coming back because we’re not going to stand for it.”
Critics of the Proud Boys say the organization has ties to white nationalism.
(Production: Arlene Eiras)
Far-right group, Proud Boys, rallies in Portland