A May Day protest in Portland has been shut down after demonstrators threw full cans of Pepsi at officers, with one hitting a medic, according to police in the US city.
On Monday, as the pro-labor, anti-Trump rally in Oregon descended into violence, Portland police tweeted that demonstrators had started hurling objects including full Pepsi cans at officers.
A @PDXFire medic was hit by a full @pepsi can thrown during #MayDayPDX protest march. Not injured.
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) May 1, 2017
Shortly later the protest’s permit was revoked and police moved in to shut it down. Three people were arrested.
Earlier in the day police had ignored a protester offering a can of Pepsi.
Police took some shields from anarchists, anarchists grouped up toward cops. 1 tried to hand Pepsi to cop, unsuccessfully #Mayday #MayDayPDX pic.twitter.com/IV8nDzxLeP
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) May 1, 2017
The use of Pepsi by protesters was linked on social media to the recent widely ridiculed ad for the drink that showed model Kendall Jenner defusing a tense moment at a demonstration by handing a can to a police officer. Pepsi pulled the ad in April after it was accused of co-opting the imagery of protest movements to sell soda.
At least three people were arrested at the Portland rally after anarchists destroyed a police car, damaged windows and property, started fires in the streets and attacked officers, according to police.
Police said the protest permit was cancelled “due to numerous incidents of thrown projectiles, incendiary devices and other unsafe conditions”. No injuries had been reported.
With Associated Press
