Minnesota officials tell residents to stay home
USA — The governor of Minnesota said Saturday he is “fully mobilizing” the National Guard after overnight violence that he said was caused by “extremists” from outside the community.
“The situation in Minnesota is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cites,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a morning press conference.
State and city officials echoed the governor’s claim that a majority of protesters were from outside Minnesota but did not immediately provide evidence of the claim.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer kept his knee pressed into his neck for more than eight minutes, sparking dozens of protests against police brutality across the country. Thousands of people took to the streets nationwide and hundreds were arrested Friday into early Saturday morning, resulting in injuries of both protesters and officers. By sunrise, at least three people had died amid the protests.
Demonstrations continued throughout the day Saturday in dozens of cities, and more protests were planned and curfews issued for Saturday evening.
The Minnesota National Guard planned to deploy as many as 10,000 troops to respond to unrest in Minneapolis, a massive increase over the 850 now on duty.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon offered to assist Minnesota with active-duty troops. So far, Gov. Tim Walz has not sought help from federal troops, according to a statement from Jonathan Hoffman, a Defense Department spokesman.
Walz said this morning that he had spoken with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs on Saturday, as well as with mayors across the country, and was “fully mobilizing” the state’s National Guard for the first time in Minnesota’s history.
Walz alleged that the protests were fueled by elements of domestic terrorism, ideological extremists and international destabilization.
(CNN)