FACING JUSTICE

Patriot Prayer Leader Charged With Rioting Following Clash With Left-Wing Demonstrators

Joey Gibson called the charge a “complete attack on the First Amendment” but said he is preparing to turn himself in.

The leader of right-wing group Patriot Prayer has been charged with rioting in connection to a fight that broke out between right and left-wing demonstrators in May, The Oregonian reports. Joey Gibson’s attorney told the newspaper about the charge, and Gibson said he would turn himself in to police on Thursday during a radio interview. “I think it’s a shame,” he reportedly told talk radio host Lars Larson. "This is a complete attack on the First Amendment. I literally stood on a sidewalk and got attacked.” Police have reportedly been arresting the right-wing figures involved in the May 1 clash at a Portland cidery. About 20 of them are said to have arrived at the cidery while a celebration was underway with people who took part in an earlier demonstration, and video of the clash reportedly shows “people using chemical spray and several people fighting.” Attorney James Buchal denies that his client was involved in the altercation at the cidery. “The District Attorney’s decision to destroy constitutional protections against free speech by charging a peaceful protester with a crime of violence makes this a dark day for the rule of law in Oregon,” Buchal said.