TRUMP THREATENS ACTION AS RIOTS RAMP UP
Mayhem engulfs major American cities
TENS of thousands of rioters tore through America’s major cities last night, attacking police, torching cars and buildings and defying curfews in increasingly violent clashes.
New York’s Times Square, the White House and blocks of Los Angeles were among iconic US locations targeted on the fifth night of protests over the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis.
An NYPD officer drove his cruiser into a crowd of protesters, at least 14 Philadelphia cops were injured, and US President Donald Trump threatened to unleash “vicious dogs” on anyone who breached the Secret Service cordon of the White House.
Curfews were enforced nationwide, cities declared states of emergency and looters emptied and burned CBD department stores and banks after overrunning and assaulting police officers.
Minneapolis — where George Floyd’s on-camera death as he was pinned to the ground for almost nine minutes beneath a white officer’s knee last Monday sparked this powderkeg — deployed its entire National Guard for the first time in history.
Minnesota Governor Tim Palz said the state was being targeted by extremists and organised groups, including drug cartels, white supremacists and far-left Antifa thugs.
Entire blocks of the midwest city have smouldered for days, leaving a trail of ransacked stores and burnt-out buildings and destroying at least 170 local businesses.
Officer Derek Chauvin was on Friday charged with murdering Mr Floyd during an arrest for passing a fake $20 note. The delay in charges against his three colleagues, who also leaned on Mr Floyd, further inflamed protests.
According to the White House, more than 80 per cent of the rioters tearing through the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul were from out of state.
US Attorney-General Bill Barr said: “In many places, it appears the violence is planned, organised and driven by anarchic left extremist groups, far left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics”.
Mr Trump said on Twitter: “Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME. Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests.”
Later, in a speech, he called for calm. “I understand the pain that people are feeling,” he said. “We support the right of peaceful protesters, and we hear their pleas. But what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with justice or with peace.
“The memory of George Floyd is being dishonoured by rioters, looters, and anarchists. The violence and vandalism is being led by Antifa and other radical left-wing groups who are terrorising the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses, and burning down buildings.
“The main victims of this horrible, horrible situation are the citizens who live in these once lovely communities. The mobs are devastating the life’s work of good people and destroying their dreams. Right now, America needs creation, not destruction; co-operation, not contempt; security, not anarchy. And there will be no anarchy. Civilisation must be cherished, defended, and protected. The voices of law-abiding citizens must be heard.”
Chaos erupted in capitals across the country all weekend, where racially diverse crowds, many of them filming non-stop with their cellphones, butted up against officers in riot gear.
They were hit with pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, many engaging in rolling battles with law enforcement.
The unrest spread to dozens more cities, including Tulsa, Oklahoma, where 300 black people were massacred in 1921, and Tallahassee, Florida, where a pick-up truck ploughed through a crowd of protesters.