A large group of heavily armed men showed up to the wildlife refuge occupation in eastern Oregon on Saturday, further escalating tensions and causing internal conflicts at the protests.
Just as a number of the regular occupiers at the Malheur national wildlife refuge were finishing up a morning press conference, a fleet of more than a dozen vehicles drove up to the site. Men armed with rifles got out of their trucks and began stationing themselves along a road.
The men said they were with a group called the Pacific Patriot Network and were a “neutral party”, there to provide security and protection for everyone at the refuge.
LaVoy Finicum, a regular spokesman for the armed militia, which has occupied the federal land since last Saturday, told the men they were not welcome or needed and that the militia was trying to minimize conflicts – not bring more guns to the compound.
Ammon Bundy, the leader of the militia, had no idea a new group of armed men would be coming, according to Todd Macfarlane, who said he was acting as a liaison between the militia and the public.
“Ammon felt blindsided,” Macfarlane said. “This was not a welcome development. We are trying to de-escalate here – then boom, they all show up.”
Many of the men with the so-called Pacific Patriot Network declined to speak to reporters, saying they had orders to abide by a “media blackout”. Some were carrying semi-automatic rifles.
Joe Oshaughnessy, with a group calling itself the North American Coalition of Constitutional Militias, said his organization and the Pacific Patriot Network were trying to provide a “buffer zone” between government officials and the occupation, meaning they could help diffuse any conflicts that might arise.
“They do not want to cause any trouble,” he said, adding: “Some of these guys are unarmed.”
But the presence of yet another armed group only seemed to create further concerns and disputes as the occupation entered its second week with no end in sight.
“We’ve got this image with long guns – that is not what we want,” said Jon Pratt, a Utah resident who has been at the occupation since Friday. “These guys are a third party. They do not represent the Bundys … and if they’re coming to keep the peace, I would’ve left the guns behind.”
Joseph Rice, a spokesman for the Pacific Patriot Network, told reporters in a very brief conversation that the group was there to try to help encourage the militia and the government to reach a resolution and end the occupation.
Asked why the group was so heavily armed, he said: “We have a right to self-protection.”
Rice said he had briefly met Ammon Bundy, and that the group planned to meet government officials too.
By early afternoon, the convoy of armed men had driven off from the refuge. It was unclear if they planned to return.
Pete Santilli, a rightwing radio host attending the occupation, said he called his contacts at the Pacific Patriot Network earlier in the week and suggested they help provide security – since it was clear the local sheriff’s office was not going to intervene if anything got out of hand.
When the men first arrived in the morning, Santilli said: “This is the safest I’ve felt since I’ve been here.”
