The leader of the Portland, Oregon-based conservative group Patriot Prayer was arrested Friday, just one day ahead of planned protests organized by far-right groups and members of the antifa movement.
The Associated Press reported that Joey Gibson turned himself into Portland’s jail after an arrest warrant was issued for rioting during a violent incident outside of a Portland bar on May 1. He was released on bail, and further legal action is still pending.
Gibson said in a video posted to Facebook that Portland police were unfairly targeting conservative activists in their arrests and choosing not to detain supporters of antifa though there have been videos circulating on social media of masked antifa members sparking violence in previous protests.
The Patriot Prayer leader also accused police of attempting to discourage conservatives from attending Saturday’s protests.
“They want you to not show up in Portland, they want to put fear in your hearts,” Gibson said.
Gibson also stressed the importance of remaining peaceful during the protests and said demonstrators looking to cause violence should not attend.
“If you want to show up tomorrow to cause problems, if you want to show up tomorrow just to simply be violent, just for blood, no one wants you there,” he said.
Portland police have been approaching Saturday’s protests with more caution after a string of violent demonstrations in the city, most recently in June. The Associated Press reported that military personnel from more than two dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have been called in to provide security at the rally and in other various support roles.
“I’m confident that from a law enforcement perspective, we’re going to have all the tools and the resources and personnel we need,” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Friday on Fox News’ Outnumbered Overtime.
