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The "Trump Free Speech Rally Portland" is scheduled June 4; the #MarchAgainstSharia is set for June 10
Portland's mayor: The groups "are coming to peddle a message of hatred and of bigotry"
(CNN)The mayor of Portland, Oregon, is trying to stop what he describes as two upcoming "alt-right" demonstrations as his city continues to mourn the stabbing deaths of two residents who intervened in a possible hate crime.
Mayor Ted Wheeler on Monday called on the federal government to revoke the permit for a rally set for Sunday, and to deny permission for a second rally on June 10.
The two gatherings -- backed by different organizers -- are planned for a park on federal land, which gives federal authorities control over issuing permits.
"Our city is in mourning, our community's anger is real, and the timing and subject of these events can only exacerbate an already difficult situation," Wheeler posted on Facebook.
Two men suffered fatal stab wounds, and a third man was seriously injured, when they intervened in an incident on Friday on a Portland commuter train. Police said the men were trying to stop a man who was yelling anti-Musllim slurs at two young women -- one of whom was wearing a hijab -- on the train.
The FBI is assisting Portland police, who are leading the investigation and are trying to determine whether Jeremy Joseph Christian, charged in the killings, could also be charged with federal hate crimes. The attacks occurred hours before the start of Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holy period of fasting, prayer and charity.
Wheeler said the city would not issue permits for the June 4 and June 10 rallies, according to a statement. But the federal government has already granted a permit for the June 4 rally, the mayor said. He urged the groups to cancel the rallies and asked their supporters to stay away.
"My main concern is that they are coming to peddle a message of hatred and of bigotry," Wheeler told reporters, referring to organizers of the two rallies. "They have a First Amendment right to speak, but my pushback on that is that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."
Portland's mayor: The groups "are coming to peddle a message of hatred and of bigotry"
(CNN)The mayor of Portland, Oregon, is trying to stop what he describes as two upcoming "alt-right" demonstrations as his city continues to mourn the stabbing deaths of two residents who intervened in a possible hate crime.
Mayor Ted Wheeler on Monday called on the federal government to revoke the permit for a rally set for Sunday, and to deny permission for a second rally on June 10.
The two gatherings -- backed by different organizers -- are planned for a park on federal land, which gives federal authorities control over issuing permits.
"Our city is in mourning, our community's anger is real, and the timing and subject of these events can only exacerbate an already difficult situation," Wheeler posted on Facebook.
Two men suffered fatal stab wounds, and a third man was seriously injured, when they intervened in an incident on Friday on a Portland commuter train. Police said the men were trying to stop a man who was yelling anti-Musllim slurs at two young women -- one of whom was wearing a hijab -- on the train.
The FBI is assisting Portland police, who are leading the investigation and are trying to determine whether Jeremy Joseph Christian, charged in the killings, could also be charged with federal hate crimes. The attacks occurred hours before the start of Ramadan, a month-long Muslim holy period of fasting, prayer and charity.
Wheeler said the city would not issue permits for the June 4 and June 10 rallies, according to a statement. But the federal government has already granted a permit for the June 4 rally, the mayor said. He urged the groups to cancel the rallies and asked their supporters to stay away.
"My main concern is that they are coming to peddle a message of hatred and of bigotry," Wheeler told reporters, referring to organizers of the two rallies. "They have a First Amendment right to speak, but my pushback on that is that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."
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