Members of the Proud Boys shoot paintballs out of the back of a truck during an altercation with anti-fascist activists following a far-right rally on August 22, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. -
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Far-right, violent, all-male group, the Proud Boys, got themselves into an awkward situation at the weekend —by letting off a smoke bomb in a car park of a market.
One of the Proud Boys’ Portland, Oregon rallies, dubbed “Summer of Love,” descended into chaos when they targeted anti-fascist protesters who weren’t afraid to hit back.
Major clash between Proud Boys and Antifa happening now on 122nd in Portland
— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) August 22, 2021
Pepper spray and airsoft deployed, fighting ongoing in the streets pic.twitter.com/z7V584qMuQ
Journalist @MaranieRae has been injured, receiving treatment from medics now during street clashes between Proud Boys and Antifa in Portland. pic.twitter.com/RjBK5rP4YX
— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) August 22, 2021
The Boys themselves may have gotten their heads too far in the clouds after misjudging the smoke bomb they decided to let off in the car park of a KMart, a department store chain.
You can hear shouts of “f*** Antifa,” while someone else said, “Could we move that smoke bomb a little bit out there? We got elderly people here, guys.”
See for yourselves:
The Proud Boys are now reduced to hanging out in the parking lot of an abandoned KMart, and they just accidentally smoke bombed themselves:
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) August 22, 2021
pic.twitter.com/cKfuzeVFqL
People in the comments were quick to mock the far-right group.
“Ah yes. Smoke yourself out and blame it on Antifa Clowns,” someone wrote.
“They aren’t sending their smartest, that’s for sure,” another added.
Someone else made a joke about accidents in market aisles and wrote, “Attention Kmart shoppers blue light, especially aisle 9.”
Check out some other reactions below.
Lol oh Lordy you can’t make this sht up. https://t.co/RZwA6XD8gV
— MaDukes 🇺🇸 (@madukes529) August 22, 2021
Maybe they're just setting up a Halloween USA https://t.co/eyxtqZ7swL
— 𝑼𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒏 (@CaptainQuint) August 22, 2021
Can someone remind me again what they’re so “proud” about? https://t.co/aoESoqWk2k
— Dave- END the Filibuster (@Dave_H64) August 22, 2021
This is embarrassing 🤣. https://t.co/NSF3BF3Xf1
— Val. Wal 🐩 (@VLynNette2U) August 23, 2021
Always so angry. https://t.co/b5I1HlphIW
— Martin (@martinmrmar) August 23, 2021
Early in the day, various speakers on the Proud Boy stage described people charged with crimes for the insurrection of Capitol Hill on January 6 as “political prisoners.”
Among the speakers was Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, a member who has been convicted of violence at protests, according to OPB.
“We’re not going to stand down,” Toese said.
Tiny emceeing the "Summer of Love" event, threatens violence against trans people. Video by @_jlevinson pic.twitter.com/jrIENdBhRV
— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas) August 22, 2021
As a result of the events over the weekend, leaders were prompted to speak on it, including Eric Ward, the executive director of the Western States Center, a nationwide ââorganization to promote democracy and freedom from fear, who called the events “deeply disturbing.”
“This is a national problem that demands national resources. Anti-democratic violence is a threat that strikes at the heart of who we are as a country. It’s time to act like it,” Ward said in a statement.
The Proud Boys, formed in the midst of the presidential election of 2016, is a violent, far-right, all-male organisation that insists they are perpetuating an “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” rhetoric when it really teeters on the lines of bigotry.
