Ready for Anarchists and Antifa: How Vancouver LE prepped for the Patriot Prayer and Trump Rally
Solid planning, sufficient personnel and resources, mutual aid and a willingness to act were all key to ensuring a peaceful event
In 1999, thousands of demonstrators converged on Seattle to make their views known on the World Trade Organization. A small segment of the group – Anarchists – received notoriety by the damage they caused to the city. Twenty years later, the Anarchists are still causing damage to cities where they assemble as counter-protestors.
The Anarchists in the Pacific Northwest are based in Seattle, Eugene and Portland and frequently travel between cities whenever a protest is held. I was well aware of their violent tendencies as a first-hand observer of their protests in Portland, located just across the Columbia River from Vancouver, Washington.
The city of Vancouver had not experienced the presence of Anarchists until after the election of Donald Trump. The Anarchists collectively opposed President Trump and some began calling themselves “Antifascists” or “Antifa.” The media picked up on this new label and portrayed them in a favorable light, for the first time, as part of a “resistance.”