People might imagine that if they found themselves amid a left-wing political rally, they might have some idea how they got there.

That didn’t seem to be the case for several left-wing activists, according to local reports about the protests in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday night that led to the arrests of eight people. Authorities say they found a number of weapons among those at the demonstration, including a backpack full of Molotov cocktails and two metal batons.