Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) posted a tweet about easygoing “Sundays in Portland” following a day of Antifa violence that ravaged his city.
Wheeler posted a photo to Twitter Sunday, showing the mayor holding hands with his wife with the caption, “Sundays in Portland.”
However, he tweeted the image just one day after the violent clashes between Antifa assailants and right-wing groups in his city. The planned protest – dubbed “The End of Domestic Terrorism” – took place in the city Saturday. Law enforcement officials prepared for the possibility of violent clashes, with many departments remaining on standby:
Things took a violent turn later in the day, with journalist and editor of Quillette, Andy Ngo, posting videos, showing “anarchy and chaos,” purportedly caused by Antifa protesters, who chose to resort to violence. One of Ngo’s videos shows a man laying on the ground injured after an alleged attack by an Antifa assailant.
“He was knocked unconscious to the ground. His partner or spouse was trying to protect him as mob still surrounded them. No police,” Ngo wrote:
In another one of Ngo’s videos, protesters attack a bus and appear to attempt to pull people out of the vehicle.
“Antifa attacks people on a bus. They try to pull them out and hit them with a hammer,” he claimed:
Ngo documented countless examples of violence within the city:
Thirteen individuals were arrested and six were injured, according to the Associated Press.
Wheeler has been criticized by notable political figures in the past for his failure to address the violent clashes erupting in Portland.
“To federal law enforcement: investigate & bring legal action against a Mayor who has, for political reasons, ordered his police officers to let citizens be attacked by domestic terrorists,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said following the violent Antifa clashes in June, which resulted in the hospitalization of Ngo:
UFC athlete Tim Kennedy also called out Wheeler for his seeming complacency:
“In light of the recent mass shootings around the country, we prepared for the worst,” Wheeler tweeted following the chaos Saturday evening. “I am relieved that no lives were lost. Weapons were seized quickly.”
“@PortlandPolice did an extraordinary job keeping the peace, protecting life, & responding to violence,” he added. “We are very grateful”: