Trump calls Downtown Pittsburgh protesters ‘ Thugs!’
A viral video of a weekend protest in Pittsburgh in which anti- racism demonstrators were seen confronting Downtown restaurant patrons elicited a strong reaction from President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
In a pair of tweets, Mr. Trump called the protesters “thugs” and their actions “disgraceful” — weighing in on the video, which has been viewed millions of times on social media and shows demonstrators shouting profanities at outdoor diners at Sienna Mercato on Penn Avenue.
“Protesters horribly harass elderly Pittsburgh diners, scaring them with loud taunts while taking their food right off their plate,” Mr. Trump wrote in one tweet. “These Anarchists, not protesters, are Biden voters, but he has no control and nothing to say. Disgraceful. Never seen anything like it. Thugs!”
Mr. Trump, who’s made “law and order” and defending law enforcement a main pillar of his re- election campaign, has sought to label the nationwide protest movement over racial justice a conduit for rioting and looting — and has used his social media accounts and public statements to draw attention to specific incidents across the U. S., although a recent study found nearly 95% of demonstrations have been peaceful.
Pittsburgh police are investigating what occurred in the videos from Saturday’s protest. They could not be reached for further comment on the protests.
In the footage, some patrons who are eating outside begin to leave their tables. One protester approaches a table where an older couple are seated and drinks one of their beverages.
Another video shows a protester yelling through a megaphone at a man holding a bicycle. The protester pushes the megaphone into the bicyclist’s head, the bicyclist smacks the megaphone, and another protester hits the bicyclist in the head with a skateboard. It is not clear from the video what started the confrontation.
The older couple in the first video, who asked to remain anonymous, told Post- Gazette news partner KDKA- TV they support the Black Lives Matter movement, but the few people who caused the disruption
were not part of the movement.
Mr. Trump, who only referenced the first video of outdoor diners, wrote in a followup tweet, “this thuggery is happening in other Democrat run cities and states” because of “weak and pathetic Democrat leadership.”
“Must shut them down fast,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Biden and his most Liberal in Senate running mate, Kamala [ Harris], won’t even talk about it. They won’t utter the words, LAW & ORDER!”
A spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto declined comment.
Mr. Trump has warned a Joe Biden presidency would “surrender your nation to the radical left- wing mob” and to looters and rioters who have “attacked law enforcement” and burned businesses.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, denounced rioting and looting during a speech in Pittsburgh last week but also denounced violence by “extremists and opportunists” who have brought weapons to protests and the violence of “unwarranted police shootings” and “excessive force” by law enforcement.
Mr. Biden’s campaign could not be immediately reached for comment.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety issued a statement saying the “actions of a few protesters last weekend” were unacceptable.
Although it was unclear what specific actions they were referring to, the release included a quote from Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich insisting “people have the right to dine in public without being accosted and without vulgarities being thrown at them.”
“What we saw this weekend was assault and battery,” Mr. Hissrich said. “It was embarrassing. The vast majority of the protests in Pittsburgh have been peaceful, but this weekend was anything but peaceful.”
Asked what actions — specifically — were “unacceptable” and worthy of being deemed assault and battery by Mr. Hissrich, a city police spokesman said because it’s an ongoing investigation, the department has no comment — but he noted police had asked for help from the public in identifying “the suspect and victim of an aggravated assault.”
“Police are investigating other clashes as well,” spokesman Chris Togneri added.
The department said, in its statement, police are working with partners in law enforcement — including the FBI and the U. S. Attorney’s Office — to investigate and “[ collect] video evidence and [ attempt] to interview witnesses.”
“If laws were broken, charges will follow,” the release said.
The department also sought to reaffirm its commitment to protecting First Amendment rights but wrote “the public expects this department to uphold the law and we will follow that mandate.”
“As a native Pittsburgher, what I saw this weekend was disturbing and cannot continue,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said in a statement. “Sadly, the protesters’ message gets erased when you have certain organizers inciting violence, which is what a handful of them are doing. It creates a dangerous and volatile situation.”
Mr. Schubert added, “Our goal, now and always, is to maintain safety for everyone, and that includes protesters, residents, visitors, business owners and patrons and our police officers who are working under difficult conditions to serve the public.”
Mr. Trump also tweeted on Tuesday about another video from Pittsburgh’s protests — this one showing a group of demonstrators chanting inside a Downtown McDonald’s restaurant before arguing with the manager. The manager and one of the protesters — holding a megaphone — push each other at one point, though the video does not clearly depict how the confrontation started or what was being said.
“Democrats and Sleepy Joe’s Peaceful Protestors!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Mr. Biden.
The video was originally taken by local photojournalist Ed Thompson, who posted that it was recorded at the McDonald’s on Stanwix Street and Liberty Avenue.
The manager of the restaurant declined to comment on Tuesday.