Protester shot at anti-Trump demonstration in Portland

Protester shot at anti-Trump demonstration in Portland
A fracas between two men ended at a demonstration against President-elect Donald Trump ended with one being shot and rushed to hospital, Oregon police said.
2 min read
12 November, 2016

US - Portland Trump protests

A man has been shot and injured during a protest against President-elect Donald Trump in Portland, Oregon, US police said in a statement.

The protester was taking part in a demonstration against the recently-elected president when he was shot by a man on a bridge in the eastern US city.

Police said the man was involved with an argument beforehand with the occupants of a grey or silver sedan, when the suspect got out of the car and fired several times.

The victim was injured and rushed to hospital, but his wounds are not thought to be life-threatening.

A witness said the suspect got out of the vehicle and fired into the air. He then shot the man in the lower body who was taking part in the anti-Trump demo, Oregon Live reported.

The crowds dispersed soon after the shooting, as police investigated the crime, who faced off with police and chanted "peaceful protest".

Protesters had blocked traffic crossing the bridge and daubed graffiti on walls, as clashes erupted between demonstrators and police.

Officers fired off half a dozen flash bang grenades as the protest turned violent, and threatened to arrest anyone left on the streets.

Anti-Trump protests erupted following Tuesday's presidential elections which saw the Republican candidate surprise pollsters and get voted into office.

Thousands have gathered in New York, Portland, Chicago and other US cities to oppose the president-elect who ran a controversial campaign marked by racist, sexist, xenophobic and divisive comments by Trump.

Trump said he would bar Muslims from entering the country, build a wall across the Mexican border to stop immigrants from entering the US, and ramp up the war against the Islamic State group.

One anarchist protester in Portland told Oregon Live that the protest had brought international attention to the wave of anti-Trump sentiments in the US.

"No matter what, we all have our own individual expressions towards the rage we feel to the creeping fascist threat in America in this age," he told the website.

"Don't hand a pacifist a rock and expect them to bust a window. But don't take the hammer away from a ... black youth expecting them to be peaceful when Nazis are going to kill them."