
Portland, OR â Tensions erupted once again in Portland as protests over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainments spiraled into chaos late Friday night. The cityâalready notorious for street clashes between far-left activists and law enforcementâsaw a dramatic new twist when independent journalist Nick Sortor was arrested while attempting to rescue a burning American flag.
Sortor wasnât the only one arrested:
The incident involving Sortor was captured on video and quickly amplified across social media, with conservative journalist Ben Bergquam calling the arrest proof that Portland Police are caving to âantifa terroristsâ while silencing those who dare to oppose them.
âPortland PD stands down one antifa terrorist attack, but arrest innocent journalists,â Bergquam tweeted, highlighting footage of Sortor being led away in handcuffs.
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Sortor himself weighed in almost immediately after his release, blasting Portland authorities in a fiery post:
âHey, Portland Police, you made a big mistake. You proved what weâve all been saying for yearsâyouâre corrupt and controlled by violent antifa thugs.â
Meanwhile, Portlandâs mayor brushed off the entire ordeal. In a brief statement, he downplayed the violence, saying there was ânothing to see here.â That sparked outrage among conservatives, who accused city leadership of siding with extremists.
Bergquam doubled down in a passionate livestream following Sortorâs arrest, praising law enforcement and federal immigration officers while warning of the dangers of unchecked radical leftism:
âYouâve got antifa terrorists attacking law enforcement, ICE agents trying to do their jobs, and the mayor says nothing. This is what radical leftism gets youâitâs got to stop in America. God bless ICE. God bless Border Patrol. God bless President Trump. God bless Tom Homan. And to hell with the traitors and the terrorists.â
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The ICE protests, which drew hundreds of demonstrators, were part of a broader push by activist groups to disrupt federal immigration enforcement operations in Portland. Critics say the city has become a magnet for anti-police and anti-ICE demonstrations, often descending into violence.
For Sortor and Bergquam, the night ended with bruises, arrests, and a new rallying cry for their followers. As another participant in Bergquamâs group summed it up to his audience:
âThis is what democracy looks like? No. This is what chaos looks like. And itâs what happens when we let antifa run wild. Weâre not going to be a socialist, communist country. Not now, not ever.â
Whether Portland Police acted out of legitimate law enforcement concerns or political bias will remain the subject of fierce debate. But for many Americans watching the flag burn while journalists were hauled away, one thing was clear: the culture war is alive and burning in Portlandâliterally.
Here is more of Bergquamâs recent footage from Portland: