A family suspected of being Antifa protesters was trapped on a road near their campsite, police say

A family of four found themselves stranded near a Washington state campsite shortly after they were confronted by a group of people asking if they were Antifa protesters, local police say.

The multiracial family — a husband and wife, their 16-year-old daughter and the husband’s mother — drove about seven hours before they reached the city of Forks on June 3, where they stopped to buy some camping supplies, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

At the store, they were confronted by “seven or eight car loads of people” who repeatedly asked the family if they were with Antifa, police said.

Antifa is short for anti-fascists and describes a broad group of people whose political beliefs lean toward the left — often the far left — but do not conform with the Democratic Party platform.

The family told the group they weren’t affiliated with Antifa and had to drive their bus around multiple vehicles as they left the store, police said.

As the family got on the road again, they told police they were followed by at least four vehicles — two of which seemed to be carrying passengers with semiautomatic rifles.

When they reached their destination and set up a tent, they began hearing gunshots and power saws, police said.

“The family, concerned for their safety, decided to pack up their camp and leave. As they drove back down the spur road they discovered someone had fell trees across the road, preventing their exit,” according to the sheriff’s department.

Four high school students who were in the area called police and used their chainsaw to clear the road, police said.

The sheriff’s office is conducting a criminal investigation.

In a statement, the Executive Director of the Forks Chamber of Commerce, Lissy Andros, condemned the incident.

“We are shocked and saddened by the encounter the family experienced on Wednesday,” the statement said. “We have full confidence in our law enforcement community to investigate this matter. This is an isolated incident and does not represent the people of Forks.”

The sheriff’s office is seeking information on some of the vehicles that were photographed following the family’s bus that night.