Two hour argument over whether the Oath Keepers were allowed in the town

Group told officers they had been invited to look after businesses as the suburb burned in wake of officer Darren Wilson being cleared

This is the moment a member of a patriot militia guarding the streets of Ferguson was stripped of his rifle by police - even though residents want him there.

The man from the Oath Keepers was told to hand over the weapon and threatened with arrest as police in the Missouri city issued an order for them to stand down.

Senior officers claim that that are acting illegally but the Oath Keepers are ignoring the order.

They are challenging it in the Missouri courts because they say it is a breach of their constitutional rights - and that Ferguson needs the extra help.

The Oath Keepers were thrust into the spotlight when photos of them standing guard on top of buildings in Ferguson to stop them being burned during the recent unrest were published in the national media.

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Order: This is the moment one of the Oath Keepers was stripped of their rifle by police in Ferguson after the riots which left parts of the suburb burning

Face to face: As the police speak to the Oath Keeper other members of the militia can be seen on the roof behind them where they are standing guard

Patrol: Members of the Oath Keepers on the roof of a Ferguson property. Each man is carrying an AR-15 assault rifle as well as handguns

Deterrent: The Oath Keepers say their presence kept looters and rioters away from other buildings. The man on the right is carrying a model 1911 semi-automatic .45 pistol 'cocked and locked' - with the hammer back but the safety catch on.

Argument: Police and Oath Keepers disagree on whether the militia can patrol in Ferguson. The disagreement is going to court

They are a pro-constitution group of former and serving soldiers, fireman and cops with a reported membership of 35,000, all of whom are volunteers.

They have been courted by the Tea Party, count Glenn Beck among their admirers and are deeply suspicious of the government.

One of the pledges in their manifesto reads: 'We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.'

The dramatic incident was captured last weekend on top of a building the Oath Keepers vowed to protect, they say after seeking permission of all the business owners.

Sam Andrews, a defense contractor and head of the St Louis branch of the organisation, told MailOnline: 'They told us to get down off the roof and told us to show them our IDs.

'I told them no, you don't have probable cause. They told us we were violating a city ordinance and we said we were not. Then a two-hour argument began.'

Helping: Sam Andrews of the Oath Keepers with a business owner in Ferguson, MO. He told MailOnline the group was going to court to show that they were not violating a city ordinance

Presence:

Mr Andrews said that after his men, who include Army Special Forces soldiers, handed down their rifles they were checked by the officers who had to give them back when they realized the guns were in order and properly licensed.

Mr Andrews said: 'In the end they let us stay on the roof.

'It was harassment, plain and simple. They don't like us because we're a pain in the ass, but the people in Ferguson want us here.

'We are here to help people that the government left hanging...these people pay their taxes and they deserve the same level of protection as the governor and his wealthy supporters.'

The Oath Keepers were founded in 2008 by Stewart Rhodes, a Yale-educated lawyer and former aide to Republican Senator Ron Paul.

Among their members they count Birthers, who believe that President Obama was not born in America and is not entitled to be President.

The decision to clear Officer Darren Wilson (right) over the killing of Michael Brown (left) was followed by rioting in Ferguson

Flames: One of the more than a dozen buildings set on fire in the violent protests

Inflamatory: The riots came after the decision to clear officer Wilson. It was greeted by Michael Brown's stepfather shouting 'let's burn this b**** down' to an angry mob. He has since apologised

A lengthy article in Mother Jones described the Oath Keepers as a disparate group who are united against the over policing of the American people.

According to their manifesto, they believe: 'We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrant-less searches of the American people...We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a 'state of emergency' on the state.'

Mr Andrews said that in his eyes, he was just a 'private citizen helping out a neighbor'.

He said: 'When I assembled my team here the Department of Homeland Security told me that I did not have a dog in this fight and you need to pull your guys out.

'They said you need to rely on the professionals, the police. 'I replied that I respect your opinion but you are wrong and that I do have a dog in this fight. I was born and raised here so go f*** yourself.'

In a 2008 article for SWAT magazine that has been posted on the Oath Keepers' blog, Mr Rhodes articulated the fears of the group in detail.

He described the nightmare scenario if Hillary Clinton, who he called the 'dominatrix in chief', got elected instead of President Obama, a scenario that could come true come 2016.

He wrote: 'Imagine that Herr Hitlery is sworn in as president in 2009.

'After a conveniently timed 'domestic terrorism' incident (just a coincidence, of course) or yet another Prozac induced mass shooting, she promptly crams a United Nations mandated, Great Britain style, total ban on the private possession of firearms through a compliant, Democratically controlled Congress.

Preparation: Police put on their gas masks after chasing off looters from a business in Ferguson.

Aftermath: The National Guard was called in in force the night after the riots to restore order and guard key businesses

'Dressed in her favorite Chairman Mao signature pantsuit, Hitlery signs the ban into law with the obligatory choir of sell-out police chiefs as backdrop (just like the good ol days when Bill Clinton used the oval office).'

Britain does not have such a ban on all firearms, but forbids the private ownership of handguns and automatic weapons, as well as other categories of firearms, and licenses all gun owners.

The dispute over the Oath Keepers patrolling Ferguson is over whether or not they need a licence to act as security guards.