Downing Street fears on US unrest
Arrests of journalists ‘concerning’ says PM’s spokesman
VIOLENCE: Downing Street has raised concerns about “very alarming” violence and the arrest of journalists covering the unrest sparked by the death of a police suspect in the US.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said people must be allowed to protest and reporters should be free to do their job as thousands took to the streets.
DOWNING STREET has raised concerns about “very alarming” violence and the arrest of journalists covering the unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd.
Boris Johnson’s administration said people must be allowed to protest peacefully and reporters should be free to do their job.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across the USA but some protests were marred by violence in cities from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and close to the White House in Washington.
The protests – which have been echoed around the world including in the UK – were triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for air as a police officer pressed a knee into his neck in Minneapolis.
“The violence we have seen in the US over recent days is clearly very alarming,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“People must be allowed to protest peacefully. As the Foreign Secretary said yesterday, the footage of George Floyd’s death is deeply distressing and our thoughts are with all those who have been affected.”
The spokesman added that reported arrests and incidents of journalists being injured are “very concerning”.
“Journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and to hold authority to account without fear of arrest or violence.”
Derek Chauvin, the police officer who pressed his knee on to Mr Floyd’s neck has been charged with murder.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The suspect has been charged and there is a federal review under way. We would hope and expect justice to be done.”
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across America, with peaceful demonstrations against police killings of black people overshadowed by unrest that ravaged cities from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and flared near the White House.
City and state officials deployed thousands of National Guard soldiers, enacted strict curfews and shut down mass transit systems to slow protesters’ movements, but that did little to stop parts of many cities from again erupting into mayhem.
Protesters in Philadelphia threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, officials said, while thieves in more than 20 California
cities smashed their way into businesses and ran off with as much as they could carry – boxes of trainers, armloads of clothes, and mobile phones, TVs and other electronics.
In Minneapolis, a tanker truck driver drove into a massive crowd of demonstrators nearly a week after Mr Floyd’s death.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump derided the nation’s governors as “weak” and demanded tougher crackdowns on protesters in the aftermath of another night of violent protests.
Mr Trump spoke to governors on a video teleconference with law enforcement and national security officials, telling the local leaders they “have to get much tougher” amid nationwide protests and criticising their responses.
“Most of you are weak,” Mr Trump said. “You have to arrest people.”
During a protest in Washington DC, Mr Trump was rushed to a White House bunker on Friday night by Secret Service agents as hundreds of people protesting against the death of Mr Floyd gathered outside the executive mansion.
We would hope and expect justice to be done.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman.