Black Lives Matter protester carries flamethrower during march to Arkansas KKK compound

A Black Lives Matter protester carried an item resembling a flamethrower during a peaceful march to a KKK compound in Arkansas.

The protest, organized by Ozarks Hate Watch, began on Sunday in Harrison near Fayetteville in the northwest part of the state. The protesters marched to Zinc, near a compound where Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Thomas Robb resides.

Quinn Foster, who organized the protest, carried the flamethrower and wore a body cam during the march, later said he did not want to “lug” the flamethrower around, but “felt it was completely necessary just in case” after receiving multiple death threats while planning the event. The event was publicized for several days before the group marched.

The group said that while they did not plan on marching to the actual compound, the road was blocked by people carrying rifles and cars, including two sedans that appear to be law enforcement vehicles.

The group also photographed at least one of the armed guards, described as “militia” pointing a rifle at the crowd with a finger on the trigger multiple times before being rotated off of guard duty.

“The closest things came to a potential shoot out was this one militiamen’s actions,” the group wrote. “Everyone else remained with the rifles at the ready, but in a safe, disciplined manner exercising trigger discipline despite their position as opposition to our protest.”

The protest occurred days after the publication of a viral video of a man holding a sign reading “Black Lives Matter” in Harrison, Arkansas and receiving verbal and racist abuse from passersby. The KKK lists Harrison as its national headquarters.