Proud Boys and neo-Nazi group clash in ugly brawl at Oregon Pride event
Two people were arrested as two opposing extremist groups reportedly clashed during a Pride event in Oregon City.
A video shot during the city’s first-ever Pride Night festival on Saturday (24 June) shows a group from far-right organisation the Proud Boys reportedly coming up against another group of masked demonstrators, Oregon Live reported.
Accounts from social media and the news website Mediaite claim the other group were members of the neo-Nazi Rose City Nationalists, and that the clash happened after both arrived to protest against the Pride event.
The two factions then confronted each other, with members of the Proud Boys reportedly brandishing flag poles and attempting to rip the masks from the faces of the opposing group, close to where attendees of the Pride event had gathered to raise money for local LGBTQ+ youth.
In the video of the feud, which was reportedly started because one hate group believed the other contained undercover FBI agents, shouts of “get the f**k out of here” and “be gone, b***h”, can be heard.
Video of proud boys fighting with and demasking members of rose city nationists near Oregon City PRIDE event. The earlier video link got deleted by the author. Here is the screengrab from redit. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/bwkhqdoG2H
— Conejo Valley Antifascists (@CAntifascists) June 25, 2023
Oregon City police captain Shaun Davis told Oregon Live that officers arrived soon after the confrontation was reported, and that the groups had already begun to disperse.
“We’re looking into videos that have surfaced on social media to see if we can identify people,” he said.
The media outlet added that two people had been arrested for disorderly conduct, and have since been released.
The Proud Boys, who were involved in the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021, have become well known for protesting at LGBTQ+ events, including Drag Queen Story Hours, although many of their demonstrations have been met with outpourings of support for the queer community.
Last month, it was reported that the group was planning several protests to disrupt Pride events across America, with one member reportedly saying Proud Boys should “focus on straight love and the love of our straight lives”, and another member claiming the group should “go bully the queers”.