‘Shoot looters’21
TRUMP WARNING AS RIOTS HIT U.S. CITIES
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DONALD Trump has warned that looting protesters could be shot. America’s cities have been hit by rioting after a black man died as he was arrested by police.
Video footage showed an officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, inset, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last night Derek Chauvin, who has since been fired from the force, was taken into police custody. Fires were started as rioters and looters left the city looking like a war zone. Trump tweeted: “These THUGS are dishonoring
(sic) the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.
“Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
The post was quickly marked with a warning by Twitter, which said the comment could be seen as “glorifying violence”. A police station in Minneapolis was set alight during a third night of protests. Meanwhile, Mr Floyd’s family have demanded the four officers implicated in his death face murder charges. Prosecutors have said they are still gathering evidence. The National Guard was deployed to the city yesterday. Former US president Barack Obama last night released a statement about 46-year-old Mr Floyd’s death.
He said “It can’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its ideals, we can and must do better.
“It falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station, to work together to create a ‘new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.” From New York City to Los Angeles, protesters have taken to the streets demanding justice for Mr Floyd.