For someone running for Senate in Washington, Joey Gibson spends a lot of time out of state.

Despite his candidacy, Gibson is best known as the founder of Patriot Prayer, a conservative group which publicly disavows racism but has a record for throwing rallies that attract violent white supremacists. And over the last few months, his group has made regular appearances in Portland, a liberal enclave that they claim needs to be “cleansed.”

On Saturday, Patriot Prayer held a “Freedom March” in Portland. Around a thousand counter protesters showed up, far outnumbering the 200 or so people who came to support Patriot Prayer.

But Gibson isn’t playing a numbers game. His strategy appears to focus more on creating moments that will make leftists look violent — and himself look like a victim.

And it seems to be working – a VICE News interview with Gibson was interrupted by police firing stun grenades into a crowd of counterprotesters, as Patriot Prayer members cheered.

VICE News went to the source to see how street protests are spiraling into an online PR war.