US GEORGE FLOYD RIOTS:
Fiery clashes between police, protesters spread
Protesters who took to the streets in Minneapolis for the fifth straight night on Saturday met a more determined response from police officers and US National Guard troops. Demonstrations escalated in dozens of cities across the United States of America – an outpouring of national anger sparked by the death of a black man in police custody.
Soon after an 8pm curfew took effect, the police in Minneapolis began arresting protesters and firing tear gas and other projectiles towards crowds, and the National Guard used a helicopter to dump water on a burning car.
The forceful response reflected the desire of the authorities to halt the violent protests that have spread nationwide since George Floyd, 46, died after being pinned down by a white Minneapolis police officer. There were still reports of violence and destruction: a fire on the roof of a shopping mall, a person who shot a gun at officers, and a group of people throwing items at the police. But state officials said around 11 pm local time that they were encouraged by the smaller crowds and apparent decrease in damage.
Much of the city was empty shortly after midnight. But even as aerial videos from Minneapolis showed police officers largely keeping demonstrators at bay, other cities were being overwhelmed, despite hastily imposed curfews.
Mayors ordered people of the streets in many of the nation’s largest cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Miami.
And governors in at least eight states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado and Tennessee, called up National Guard troops in an attempt to impose order, often with little success.
In Tennessee, the building that houses Nashville’s City Hall was set on fire. Two police vans in New York City were filmed ploughing into protesters. In Washington, demonstrators set fires and smashed the windows of buildings near the White House.
The police in Indianapolis said three people had been shot during the protests – not by police officers – including one person who was killed. And in Philadelphia, the Police Department said at least 13 officers had been injured during protests.
The demonstrations continued to escalate on Friday and Saturday even after Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck until he lost consciousness, was charged with third-degree murder. President Donald Trump has harshly criticised the unrest, and Attorney-General William Barr warned on Saturday that people inflicting the destruction could face federal charges.
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota said the people defying curfews and confronting the police were no longer protesting brutality but rather were seeking to exploit Mr Floyd’s death for their own political motives.
Tens of thousands of people were in the streets across the United States on Saturday night, as demonstrations stretched from coast to coast in a national paroxysm of rage that saw buildings set on fire, businesses looted and an aggressive response from the authorities.
Protests have taken place in at least 48 cities and have reached the gates of the White House in the days since Mr Floyd’s death. The imposition of curfews by mayors appeared to be more widespread on Saturday than at any time since the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.
Mr Trump had made a series of statements throughout the day that did little to tamp down the outrage nationwide. Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House, he criticised the authorities in Minnesota for allowing protests to turn violent and offered the help of the military to contain further demonstrations.
In a series of tweets, he called demonstrators who gathered at the White House on Friday night “professionally managed socalled ‘protesters’” and suggested that his supporters would meet them. “Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”