Armed right-wing protesters surrounded the Oregon state capitol building as lawmakers met to discuss Covid restrictions and a relief package.
The crowd included members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other extremist groups, many armed with rifles and handguns, according to reports.
Protesters chanted “let us in” and “arrest Kate Brown”, a chant directed towards the state’s governor, in what appeared to be a “reopen Oregon” demonstration.
People tried to force their way into the building in Salem, Oregon, and some protesters got into the lobby as police declared it an unlawful assembly.
Lawmakers were meeting in special session to consider measures that would provide $800 million in funding for coronavirus measures and wildfire relief.
The government’s agenda included an eviction moratorium with $200 million in relief for landlords and tenants, a restaurant relief package that would allow to-go cocktails, and $600 million being transferred from the state’s emergency fund for Covid and wildfire response.
“I’m here to support the constitutional rights of people and of Oregon business owners. These people are unemployed and their lives are being ruined by this situation and most importantly by a government that seems to have taken totalitarian views,” one protester told The Daily Beast.
More than 103,000 people in Oregon have tested positive for Covid while more than 1,300 people in the state have died.
