PORTLAND, Ore.: Around one thousand supporters of the right-wing Proud Boys group, some armed, rallied in Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon on Saturday in a largely peaceful event that drew far fewer followers than organizers forecast and state authorities had feared.
The rally in a north Portland park ended after a few hours of speeches and chants, many against anti-fascists and Black Lives Matter groups which held a nearby counter-protest.
“You’re here for the right reasons, the people down the street are against America,” said an unnamed speaker in a video posted on the Parler page of the self-declared “Western chauvinist” Proud Boys.
The Proud Boys forecast a crowd of at least 10,000 when they asked for a permit to hold the demonstration, a request that was denied by the city.
State Governor Kate Brown…