Portland protesters hit with tear gas and snatched into unmarked vans as federal officers crack...

Federal law enforcement officers sent to quell demonstrations in Portland, Oregon last night used tear gas on hundreds of protesters at the city’s federal courthouse.

It comes amid an escalating row with the federal government over the need to impose “law and order” on the streets, with the city’s mayor at odds with the Department of Homeland Security.

The demonstrations that began after the killing of George Floyd have continued in Portland for more than six weeks, with clashes between protesters and law enforcement sometimes erupting into violence and damage to property. Federal forces have now been sent in to shut the protests down – sometimes with violent consequences.