It's not clear who, but at some point probably around 1989, someone within the administration of US president George H.W. Bush dubbed the city of Portland, Oregon "Little Beirut" due to the political protests that erupted every time Bush or his vice president Dan Quayle came to town. These kinds of protests had been happening since president Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign in 1984 when Bush was vice president, and were at a time when Oregon was still open to electing Republicans generally. When Bush came through on his 1988 campaign tour for president, he was met by over a thousand booing union workers during his visit to an industrial complex on Swan Island. Pretty tame as protests go, but it got worse from there.
In 1989, vice president Quayle came to Portland and was met by about 150 protesters which included some local anarchists, 20 of whom were arrested. "Out of respect to the office of the vice president, there should have been at least 500," Quayle allegedly joked. Then in 1990, Bush came around for a Republican fundraiser and was met with 300 protesters spitting and throwing eggs, fruit, and explosives while burning American flags. 25 were arrested. Later that year, Quayle returned for another fundraiser and was greeted by 300 protesters, including a performative display by some Reed College students who swallowed food coloring and an emetic, vomiting up red, white and blue. 51 were arrested.
By 1991, the nickname was so widely known that it was being used by the news media. That fall, Bush returned to another protest that a cable access group attempted to capture live for broadcast. That didn't work out so well (for technical reasons), and 30 protesters were arrested by Portland Police — including one for throwing a muffin.
300