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[Thread] Yesterday in downtown Portland, a white nationalist brandished a knife and assaulted a group of young civil rights activists gathered to demonstrate opposition to ICE’s treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers. "Go to another fucking country," he said.
After brandishing what appeared to be a switchblade, he lunged at one of the demonstrators, making his intentions clear: “I will stab every one of you motherfuckers.” Civil rights activists successfully deescalated the situation and a suspect was subsequently arrested. 
This is deeply concerning. Just two years ago, a white nationalist stabbed three of our neighbors on public transit, killing Ricky John Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche. The victims had tried to stop him from targeting two black girls.
Details are still emerging, but publicly available information suggests the suspect was previously convicted of arson, has a history of domestic violence, and connected to a Facebook page for European Kindred, "a large white supremacist prison gang in Oregon," according to @ADL.
While these details are significant, attention must turn to those who helped ensure no one was hurt during the altercation. Risking their lives, several people bravely intervened to deescalate the situation and keep others safe from harm. We're infinitely grateful for this.
White nationalists and their allies threaten our safety and our democratic institutions. Our leaders and civil servants must treat these threats seriously and stop mouthing the same old platitudes blaming “both sides” for the political crises happening in our region and country.
Authoritarian groups and anti-democratic militias are taking aim at Portland, using false narratives to justify attacks. It’s time for @PortlandPolice to either retract or confirm its widely-shared and unsubstantiated claim that anti-fascists made concrete milkshakes on June 29.
Faced with these growing threats, our communities must exist in solidarity with one another and erect a steadfast moral barrier against white nationalists, their allies, and the bigotry they exploit to achieve their political goals. If our leaders won't lead the way, we must.
