It concluded, "We promise there will be no harm to anyone but we will shut this down and prevent them from marching using nonviolent passive blocking of their movement."
A source close to the parade tells
WW that the Republicans initially wanted to cancel their participation, but changed their minds and decided to confront protesters. In subsequent discussions with the city, the source said, the Portland Police Bureau made clear that it did not have the resources to provide extra security to the parade.
It's also clear that multiple groups had planned to converge at the annual family-focused event, including far-right agitators.
One of the organizers of an April 2 "Rally for Trump and Freedom" in Vancouver, Wash., which
ended in a large brawl and police arrests of several anti-fascist ("antifa") protesters, announced his plans to crash the event yesterday.
The organizer, Joey Gibson, frequently posts online videos in which he rants about "free speech" while standing in front of his firearms and an American Revolutionary War flag.
"We've got a lot more people coming down now on Saturday because of the threats you guys are making," Gibson tells his antifa foils in an
April 24 video, before making a threat of his own: "Saturday can be an awesome day or a horrible day. It could turn into a Berkeley, OK? I was in Berkeley. You don't want that, trust me. Just leave us alone, don't tread on us, no one gets hurt."