Antifa and far-right groups’ Capitol clash leads to assault and arrest
One man was arrested and another person was injured when far-left and far-right groups clashed on the Capitol Campus in Olympia Saturday afternoon, the Washington State Patrol said.
“One group identified themselves as Patriot Prayer,” said State Patrol spokesman Darren Wright. “The other group refused to identify themselves, but had symbols identified with anti-fa.”
Patriot Prayer is a Vancouver, Wash.-based far-right group that holds frequent rallies in the Portland area. Antifa is short for anti-facists, an umbrella term that includes people who protest against racism, Nazis and white nationalism.
It appears one group counter-protested the other group’s rally but neither had permits, according to Wright.
The Patriot Prayer group had about six people, Wright said. The antifa group had about 50.
Video posted on Twitter purports to show one group chasing down the other at the noon rally.
A 40-year-old Chehalis man with the antifa group was arrested for assault and booked into Thurston County Jail, Wright said.
The victim, a member of the Patriot Prayer group, was treated at the scene, Wright said.
Troopers were already on the Capitol campus when the altercation started. They called for backup, Wright said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Antifa and far-right groups’ Capitol clash leads to assault and arrest."
