Federal officers use gas to clear protesters in Portland

 Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters in Oregon, hours after he of Department of Homeland Security visited Portland and called demonstrators “violent anarchists.”

Video showed many protesters leaving area near federal courthouse late Thursday as smoke filled air. Protests have taken place for nearly two months in Portland, since police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

During a visit to Portland earlier Thursday, Homeland Security Acting Secretary Ch Wolf said state and city authorities are to blame for t putting an end to protests, angering local officials.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and or local officials have said y didn’t ask for help from federal law enforcement and have asked m to leave.

A few hundred people h gared near federal courthouse Thursday night, news outlets reported. Police told protesters to leave after anuncing y heard some chanting about burning down building, according to Oregonian .

A short time later, federal officers fired rounds and deployed tear gas to break up crowd. Some protesters remained in area early Friday and were detained, but it was unclear wher any arrests were me, newspaper reported.