Trump fan is shot dead at BLM protest
White man dies as groups clash
A DONALD Trump supporter has been shot dead during a clash with Black Lives Matter protesters.
The unnamed man was killed after a convoy of about 600 vehicles entered Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night during a counter-protest.
Witnesses heard gunshots as the two groups clashed, but it is not clear whether the man was deliberately gunned down or simply caught in crossfire.
The victim, who was white, was shot in the chest and wore a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer – a local Right-wing group whose members have frequently confronted black protesters. The city has seen nightly demonstrations for more than three months since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis sparked Black Lives Matter protests.
Several nights have ended with vandalism and violence, prompting local self- styled vigilantes to come into the city to apparently ‘protect’ its buildings and businesses while often proclaiming their support for Donald Trump.
The US President called them ‘Great Patriots!’ on Saturday as he shared footage online of his convoy of supporters driving into Portland on a night that would end in fatal tragedy. Two days earlier he had singled out Portland as a liberal city overrun with violence in a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Mr Trump and other speakers evoked a violent, dystopian future if Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden wins in November and pointed to Portland as a cautionary tale for what would be in store for US citizens.
The President is set to inflame the situation further on Tuesday by visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has become the latest flashpoint for the movement after another black man Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police and left paralysed from the waist down.
The city has restored itself to relative peace after several days of rioting and disorder but there are fears it may tip back into violence tomorrow if Mr Trump does visit in an attempt to drum up support for his hardline agenda.
It came as anti-racism protesters flouted social-distancing rules to march through London yesterday. The demonstration was dubbed the Million People March but attracted only a few hundred calling for an end to systemic racism within the UK.
With most wearing face masks, the crowd walked side-by- side from Notting Hill to Hyde Park corner just over two miles away.
Demonstrators held placards reading ‘White silence – violence’ and shouted ‘F*** the police’ at officers as they walked alongside them, but the march passed without incident.