VIDEO: Portland policeman rain punches on protestor, 19 demonstrators arrested

Protests flared in Portland overnight on Monday as demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of the Oregon city, which has become a focus of the US presidential race after months of sometimes violent confrontations.

The latest protest came the night before President Donald Trump was due to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, another flashpoint, having seized on civil disturbances in Portland and other cities to criticize Democratic leaders and call for "law and order" ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Monday said it was Trump himself who was helping stoke the violence.

In the latest Portland unrest, police used smoke grenades and pepper balls to control the crowd of protesters. Police said in a statement officers "deployed some crowd control munitions" and 19 people were arrested, mostly on charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with police.

A video showed a policeman pinned a protester to the ground, then rain punches on the person.

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About 200-300 people gathered in the downtown area to march to the apartment of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to demand his resignation. They were seen setting fire to wooden benches and plastic trash bins along the march.

Portland has seen nightly protests with hundreds of arrests since the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25. Kenosha was thrust into the spotlight after police shot a Black man in the back on Aug. 23.

Police declared Monday night's gathering unlawful and later upgraded it to a riot after protesters set a fire in an unoccupied apartment building.

Agencies