Seven men arrested after shouting racist insults and doing Nazi salutes at black family on Oregon beach, police say

Officers had to form a barricade between group and family so they could leave, report says

Seven men have been arrested after an alleged racist incident on the Fourth of July in an Oregon beach town.

Police said that the men allegedly yelled racial slurs at a black family and used Nazi salutes while people spent Independence Day on the beach in Lincoln City, southwest of Portland.

The men have been arrested on suspicion of charges including riot, disorderly conduct, interfering with police and possession of illegal fireworks, according to The Oregonian.

Police said that officers had to form a barricade between the group and the family to allow them to safely leave the beach, the report said.

According to the newspaper, the group of men then allegedly challenged police to a fight and set off illegal fireworks.

The seven men, who were from Clark County, Washington, were arrested on Saturday and later released, according to police.

Listed phone numbers could not be found for the men and it is unknown if they have attorneys, the AP reported.

A number of aggravated incidents against people of colour have occurred across the US in recent weeks against the backdrop of national civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, which sparked countrywide protests against police brutality and racial discrimination.

On Thursday a white couple in Michigan was arrested and charged with felonious assault after they were caught on camera seemingly pulling a handgun on a black woman and her family outside a restaurant in Michigan, authorities said.

Another white couple in St Louis was filmed pointing guns at protesters who were marching down their street to the mayor’s house to demand her resignation.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.