Hundreds of protesters gathered on Tuesday evening in downtown Portland, Oregon, to express outrage over the leaked decision of the US Supreme Court to overrule the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade that prohibited states from banning legal access to abortions.
On Sunday, police released photos and video of protesters that committed acts of vandalism, including graffiti and breaking windows, during the pro-choice protest, asking for assistance in identifying them.
Some believe the individuals are members of Antifa, the highly decentralized left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement. However, those claims have yet to be substantiated.
The police are currently investigating the surveillance footage, depicting the damage, caused to local businesses and government buildings during the clashes. The damage includes the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse, hit by burning items, and a Starbucks coffeehouse with broken glass and painted graffiti. Windows were also broken by vandals at The Portland Exchange, a small grocery and café connected to a new Hilton-owned hotel, according to KGW.
So far, one individual was arrested, identified as Luke S. Anderson, 31. According to the police, he was taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of reckless burning and disorderly conduct in the second degree.
In one of the videos, posted on Twitter, two participants were so “infuriated at street preachers that they began attacking people on their own side, including a peacekeeper and several women. One of the assailants grabbed a sign from a fellow protester and hit her on the head.”
After the leak of SCOTUS’ legal evaluation of its planned decision to overturn the right to legal abortion, a wave of protests swept some US states last week, including ones in Washington, DC, New York, California, and Oregon.
Reporting from Sputnik.
