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Police declare Portland rally a 'riot' after protesters hurl Molotov cocktails, dramatic video shows man on fire

The police had not permitted the march and later declared the protest a riot after a video of a protester from Portland, Oregon, running with their legs on fire surfaced over the internet

Since the killing of George Floyd, many BLM protestors have taken to the streets of American cities protesting for racial equality and justice for victims in cases of police brutality. Unfortunately, incidents such as the Kenosha shooting by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse and offenses such as vandalism have also become part of the protests and their narrative. On September 6, a video of a protester from Portland, Oregon, running with their legs on fire surfaced over the internet. According to Newsweek, a Molotov cocktail was thrown in the direction of the protester that led to the accident -- there are videos of the incident on Twitter and other social media outlets.

A huge crowd of people was seen on the streets of Portland with social media videos and pictures memorializing the moment that marked the 100th night of protests since Floyd's death. The videos showed the crowd along with Molotov cocktails being thrown in the air. A tweet by Mike Baker, a known correspondent for The New York Times read, "Hundreds of protesters are out in Portland tonight for the 100th night of demonstrations. Police have blocked the road. We are already seeing Molotov cocktails from protesters and riot-control munitions from the police." The tweet was accompanied by a video.

Although, later on in Baker's thread, he seemed to have caught a horrifying incident that showed a mass group of protesters running away from a scene where one cocktail initiates a fire. In the posted video, you can see a protestor running with their legs caught on fire trying to put it out by rolling on the ground. Bakers tweet read, "You can see the Portland protester running around with their legs on fire at the beginning of this video." The video also shows protesters moving away from police as they deployed tear gas canisters. 

In the string of tweets, Baker also tweeted videos saying "Police Advance" with one tweet reading, "The police arrive again. Lots of arrests."

The Portland Police seemed to have confirmed the incident as they retweeted Baker's video along with an update on what had occurred. "Firebombs were thrown at officers, injuring at least one community member. Police are trying to restore peace and order for the safety of this neighborhood," read one tweet. According to Newsweek, the police had not permitted the march and later declared the protest a riot. The Police seemed to be very active on their official Twitter account, posting accounts of what is going on at the scene. 

"Portland Police note that persons on Southeast Stark are engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct thereby intentionally or recklessly creating a grave risk of causing public alarm This is a riot. Police are giving announcements to disperse People are throwing Molotov cocktails," read another tweet.

Yet another alarming tweet read, "Portland Police are making repeated loudspeaker announcements ordering people to disperse and stop committing crimes or risk use of force the use of crowd control munitions including, but not limited to, tear gas and impact weapons and the possibility of arrest."