Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MIRROR ON THE
FLAMES erupt as fury explodes in the face-off between police and angry crowds protesting over the death of an unarmed black man detained by a white officer.
Armed with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, rocks and even a chainsaw, demonstrators did not cower as police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets from the Third Police Precinct.
My three hours on the front line of demonstrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a shocking insight into the anger and frustration felt not only in this city but across America.
Thousands had descended on the precinct to voice their fury at violence despite the fear of further brutality.
Many in the crowd believed the only protection from the police’s tear gas and weapons was a white face.
But as tensions rose in the demonstration over the death of George Floyd, the crowd’s fury turned on me.
I was shoved forward and ordered to the front, as one demonstrator told me: “Scream ‘No justice’ and we going to follow you. They’re not going to shoot your white ass. They’re not going to send any gas over here. You’re here. You’re too clean. I want to hear you say something.”
Another said: “They’re not going to get you, you’ve got a nice tie on.”
When I said I was a journalist and not a demonstrator, the mood turned.
A woman said: “You’re hiding something. They [the police] send their own out to act as agitators. To stir us up. You’re one of them.”
Within seconds I was surrounded by 15 or so who clearly believed I was not there to report on their struggles. I was told to leave, and one man in his 20s told me “you too will join George Floyd”.
A man punched me in the chest. But then a middle-aged black man stepped in, telling the rioters that using violence made them no better than the police.
After I got away I found the exchange had been recorded on my phone’s video, activated unknown to me.
For all their hostility, I felt their deep anger was entirely understandable. As they chanted “What’s his name? George Floyd” and “Hands up. Don’t shoot”, in front of them 50 or so overwhelmingly white riot police armed with guns and batons protected the perimeter backed by mounted police.
Two days earlier, four of their colleagues were involved in the death of Mr Floyd on Monday. The 46-year-old died after officer Derek Chauvin was seen placing his knee on his neck for eight minutes until he passed out. The dad-oftwo had been dragged