Trump tells governors to ‘dominate’ rioters
Donald Trump told US governors to “dominate” protesters, as the country braced for another night of violent clashes and lootings following the death of George Floyd. Leaked audio of his call with governors revealed he suggested 10-year jail sentences for offenders and warned against the authorities becoming a “laughing stock”. His comments contrasted with prominent black figures, from Barack Obama to Mr Floyd’s brother, who urged rioters to avoid violence.
DONALD TRUMP yesterday told America’s governors they must “dominate” protesters to keep the peace as the country braced for another night of violent clashes and lootings.
Leaked audio of the US president’s call with governors revealed he suggested 10-year jail sentences for offenders and warned against the authorities becoming a “laughing stock”.
“You have to dominate,” Mr Trump said. “If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time – they’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”
His confrontational talk contrasted with prominent black figures, from expresident Barack Obama to the grieving brother of George Floyd, pleading for demonstrators not to use violence.
The wave of anger at the death of Mr Floyd, a black American, after having his neck pinned to the ground by the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer shows no sign of fading. Yesterday it emerged that an autopsy commissioned for Mr Floyd’s family found that
Mr Floyd had died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
By Sunday evening, the sixth night of protests, demonstrations had spread to more than 140 US cities, double Saturday’s total. Dozens adopted curfews to keep the streets clear. They did not work. Across the country, protests that had been largely peaceful throughout the day descended into violent clashes with police at night.
In Washington, crowds were pushed back from the White House with tear gas and pepper spray as fires once again broke out, smoke drifting above the nation’s capital.
In New York, shop windows along Fifth Avenue were smashed, with people storming into Bloomingdales, Chanel, Adidas and North Face and grabbing items. The city’s first curfew of the protests was announced, with the streets to be kept empty from 11pm to 5am.
Elsewhere, rubber bullets were deployed. In Louisville, Kentucky, a man was shot dead by police. Officers did not initially name him but said they had been fired on first.
Other acts of aggression emerged. In Minneapolis, the city where Mr Floyd died and protests began, a tanker sped into hundreds of protesters marching on a highway. Footage showed demonstrators sprinting for safety. Miraculously, no one was killed. The driver was arrested and named as Bogdan Vechirko. His motive was not clear.
Every one of America’s 50 states has now seen demonstrations, according to CNN. More than 26 have deployed the National Guard.
By yesterday afternoon the number of arrests across all days was at 4,400, but figures filtering in from cities made clear that would rise.
Such a scale of impromptu race protests has not been seen in America since the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. That year is dubbed America’s worst in modern history by some, with rioting at home and the Vietnam War raging abroad.
Even the US president has not been immune from impact. On Friday night, with protesters tussling with police outside, he was rushed into an underground bunker in the White House. Mr Trump reportedly remained there for around an hour. White House officials stressed the risk had always been low.
The president did not appear on
‘Why did they have to put their knee on that man’s neck? It’s all senseless. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m looting’
camera on Sunday, leading to criticism that he had been “silent” as the country erupted in anger. He did tweet, however, declaring “LAW & ORDER!”
Mr Trump has talked up the role of “radical” organisers in the protests, including Left-wing militant movement Antifa, and did so again yesterday. “Anarchists, we see you!” he tweeted. Facebook was facing a revolt from staff yesterday over its failure to take action over Mr Trump’s protest posts, with senior figures being publicly critical and some staff walking out.
Twitter hid Mr Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” comment from users last week unless they clicked a link, saying it glorified violence. But Facebook did not.
Across the country, people were taking to the streets in peaceful protest against racism during the day, followed by violent clashes at night.
In Washington, the order of an 11pm curfew had not stopped people gathering in a park just north of the White House for a third night in a row. They chanted “no justice, no peace” and “hands up, don’t shoot”. After 10pm tensions rose. Police pushed forward, using flash grenades and tear gas that sent protesters running and coughing as officers tried to clear the park.
In New York, tens of thousands protested. Some briefly occupied Manhattan Bridge, stopping traffic. It emerged the mayor’s own daughter was arrested for protesting over the weekend.
But after dark, sporadic looting broke out along Fifth Avenue, with people ransacking high-end shops. A New York police officer was run over by one getaway car.
Some were defiant when challenged. “Why did they have to put their knee on that man’s neck?” said a young demonstrator, referring to Mr Floyd.
“You have to answer that question for me first. It’s all senseless. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m looting.”
Minneapolis appeared to have a calmer night than some in the last week. Protesters had peacefully gathered around a large ring of flowers at the junction where Mr Floyd had been pinned by an officer’s knee.
In a sign of compassion, the Minneapolis police chief visited the site and took a knee. He later said the three officers present with Derek Chauvin, the policeman now charged with murder after pinning Mr Floyd to the ground, were also “complicit” in their silence.
Joe Biden, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, visited a protest in Delaware. The party’s last president – the only African-american ever to hold the role – also spoke out.
“Let’s not excuse violence, or rationalise it, or participate in it,” Barack Obama wrote in a 1,000-word piece urging protesters to remain peaceful.
“If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.”