Police arrested eight pro-Palestinian protesters Saturday who attempted to block the Portland Rose Festival’s grand floral parade, according to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau.
The pro-Palestinian protest began modestly outside the Oregon Convention Center, northeast of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 8:30 a.m., growing in numbers as the morning progressed. Police officers on bicycles lined up between the demonstration and the parade.
As the parade began to pass, the protest – which now numbered around 50 people – continually chanted: “As you watch, bombs are falling. » Some waved Palestinian flags. Others held paper poppies, which protesters said were linked to Armistice Day, commemorating the end of the First World War.
At one point, a woman allegedly threw a drink at police, according to the release.
Around 11:15 a.m., several demonstrators broke through the police cordon, jumping into the street and lying on the ground in front of the 234th Army marching band. After stopping for a moment in front of the demonstrators, the gang marched around them.
Police then arrested some protesters. The release states that the same woman who splashed her drink allegedly threw a can containing liquid at officers during the arrests – causing no injuries. Police arrested her about 30 minutes later.
–Andrew Miller covers business news. Contact him at 971-803-2954; amiller@oregonian.com