Fox host claims that far-right rioters who violently stormed Oregon state capitol are “not against America”

Demonstrators were armed and allegedly assaulted state police with chemical agents

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

From the December 22, 2020, edition of Fox News’ America’s Newsroom

TRACE GALLAGHER (ANCHOR): Tension in Oregon, as state police declare an unlawful assembly. This after demonstrators pushed their way into the state capitol in Salem, calling on the governor and lawmakers to reopen the economy. Officers deploying blue smoke to try to disperse the crowd. Joining us now is Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox & Friends. Brian, it's always great to see you, thanks for fitting us into your schedule there on radio time. I want to — this is a statement from one of the protestors. He said this to The Daily Beast, quoting here, “These people are unemployed and their lives are being ruined by this situation and most importantly by a government that seems to have taken totalitarian views.” Clearly, this person, a lot of others, are fed up. Are the protests the way to vent your frustration, in your opinion, Brian?

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST, Fox & Friends): A couple of things. Number one, we're sharing audiences, I was just talking about this with our audience right now on the radio.

They were told, Trace, January 2, they're going to be able to open up their economy again. They were just extended, that was just extended to March 2 in Oregon. You just left California. In California, they just said for your own good we're shutting down your business, preventing you from having breakfast, preventing you from going out to lunch, preventing you from eating outside. At the same time, destroying businesses along the way. There's protests everywhere.

I ask you, what else can they do? They had the legislative meeting where they're deciding their future. You show up. I'm not for violence, but I'm for showing up in numbers, especially as legislators can see the faces of those they are shutting down — maybe forever.

You know what's different about these riots in Oregon, as opposed to Seattle riots? They're not against America, they want to work in America. They want to live the American Dream, and I would imagine they were living it until they were stopped by a pandemic from China. But then they doubled and tripled the pain, by terrible leadership by mayors and governors, case in point in Oregon.

The demonstrators broke through glass doors in order to storm the state capitol building, as seen in photos published by the Salem Statesman Journal. A total of four people were arrested.

Oregon Public Radio also reports that demonstrators sprayed state police with “some kind of chemical agent,” according to police officials, such as one man who was arrested for allegedly spraying bear mace at police.

The demonstration was reportedly led by Patriot Prayer, a violent far-right group in the Portland area, with participants chanting for the arrest of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D). The event also received significant promotion on InfoWars.

Previously, during protests over the summer tied to the Black Lives Matter and antifa movements that turned violent, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade compared the demonstrators to Al Qaeda: “Sit there, lock them up and interrogate them, almost like you would Al Qaeda. Because they are undermining our country the same way this Islamist extremists were doing it.”