Portland mayor wants pro-Trump 'free speech' rally cancelled after train attack
On May 26, two men were stabbed to death on a light rail train in Portland, Ore. They had come to the defence of two teenage girls who were being verbally attacked by a white man over the colour of their skin and the hijab that one of them was wearing.
The man shouting at the two girls stabbed and killed the two men. A third man was slashed but survived.
The mayor of Portland was quick to condemn the attack.
In the wake of the tragedy, the mayor asked the federal government to cancel a permit for a rally scheduled to take place on Sunday.
The gathering — which was planned before the train attack — is being organized by a group called Patriot Prayer. They're calling the event a "Trump Free Speech Rally."
But the group's permit has not been cancelled, and debate over whether this rally should go ahead at such a tense time for the grieving community has ignited the city.
In the face of infringements on free speech, the mayor and his allies argue the permit must be suspended for the sake of public safety.
"We've got three competing demonstrations coming up this Sunday which will all be in view of each other —which is a recipe for catastrophe," explains Tom Hastings, an assistant professor of conflict resolution at Portland State University.
"The three include this Trump Free Speech Rally, and as of yesterday morning, 373 people had signed up to attend and 726 said they were interested. The second demonstration is the so-called ANTIFA — the people who believe in punching a Nazi. Their slogan is "defend Portland, no Nazis on our streets" … The third one is called Portland Stands United Against Hate … we've got a thousand people planning to attend and 3300 interested."
On The Current, Hastings elaborates on the hot political climate in Portland, and speaks with guest host Jan Wong about the free speech vs. hate speech debate.
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Catherine Kalbfleisch and Vancouver network producer Anne Penman.