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The strategy of the far-right Patriot Prayer 鈥渇lash marchers鈥� Saturday was much like that of their Proud Boy聽counterparts the night before in New York City: Assemble a ready-to-rumble crew with out-of-town violent extremists, then troll through the urban center in hopes of confronting left-wing protesters, ensuring violence eventually will break out.

It worked, as it almost always has for Joey Gibson and his Patriot Prayer听肠谤别飞.

Though the 聽was hastily thrown together in a day or so, Gibson's group managed once again to force a massive police presence into downtown Portland, and聽yet again provoked violence as 聽near the march鈥檚 end.

Most Patriot Prayer members travel to Portland聽from across the river in Vancouver, Washington, as well as elsewhere in southwestern Washington and western Oregon. Only a handful of Patriot Prayer participants actually hail from Portland proper or pay taxes there.

Nonetheless, Gibson鈥檚 pretense this time out was again claiming to represent 鈥渢he citizens鈥� of Portland, standing up to 鈥渞adical leftists鈥� who they claim make the streets unsafe for motorists.

The news peg on which they hung this demonstration聽was an Oct. 6 story involving an elderly driver who forced his car through a crowd protesting the Portland police killing of a black man, Patrick Kimmons, on Sept. 30. Video of the incident went viral, sparking a public debate (mostly on right-wing channels such as Fox, which ) over the tactics of street protesters who block traffic.

Once again, he brought with him a cluster of polo-clad Proud Boys, many wearing their red Make America Great Again Hats, and all seemingly looking for a fight. Eventually, they found it.

Initially, the march was mostly peaceful. Gibson鈥檚 right-hand man, Tusitala 鈥淭iny鈥� Toese, organized everyone on a downtown corner with a megaphone, leading them in chants before setting off through the city鈥檚 streets with the apparent intent of riling up political opponents. One of the men in Patriot Prayer鈥檚 crew wore a shirt with the words 鈥淚 hunt antifa cowards鈥� scrawled across the chest in permanent marker.

Eventually, Gibson鈥檚 marching group, numbering around 100 鈥斅爓hich ostentatiously did not block traffic, staying to the sidewalk and waiting for 鈥淲alk鈥� signals 鈥� encountered a group of protesters holding a vigil for Kimmons, the聽man whose death had sparked the earlier protests. That crowd chanted 鈥淏lack Lives Matter!鈥� at the Patriot Prayer group, but when the marching 鈥淧atriots鈥� crossed the street and confronted them directly, no fighting broke out.

Instead, a few minutes later, someone pepper-sprayed a Patriot Prayer marcher. Shortly after that, outside a popular Portland pub called Kelly鈥檚 Olympian, Proud Boys and Patriots clashed violently with a variety of black-clad protesters. One of them appeared to get kicked and stomped by a cluster of Proud Boys, including Toese. Portland journalist Mike Bivins reported聽on Twitter that he saw Toese 鈥減ummeling a dude鈥� and that more right-wing assailants joined in 鈥渢o stomp him out.鈥�

Portland police broke up the melees almost as soon as they broke out. Eventually, the Patriot contingent wandered back to their cars and drove to their homes outside of Portland. There were no arrests.

This is becoming a well-established recipe, not just for Patriot Prayer but for other similar right-wing street-fighting groups such as the Proud Boys and American Guard. The latter recently were involved in fighting 聽as were Gibson, Toese and other Patriot Prayer agitators. Friday鈥檚 Proud Boys attack in New York City聽has drawn national attention.

These events have been organized under various pretenses that聽distract from their nearly inevitable violence, ranging from 鈥渇ree speech鈥� to opposition to Portland鈥檚 immigration 鈥渟anctuary" status. Patriot Prayer鈥檚 events have been held not just in Portland (on multiple occasions), but in other urban areas as well: Seattle, Olympia, Vancouver, Berkeley, San Francisco听补苍诲 Austin.

Its events have been heavily populated for most of the past year by members of the Proud Boys, and at a rally in Seattle, Gibson pledged his allegiance to them. It鈥檚 been reciprocated. In the Pacific Northwest, multiple members of the Proud Boys have been celebrated for assaults at Patriot Prayer rallies.聽The highest 鈥渄egree鈥� of Proud Boy membership is awarded to those who have fought with a left-wing protester.

Update: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Portland pub Kelly's Olympian as Kelly's Champions. We regret the error.