Saturday, June 06, 2020

ACLU sues Trump administration over controversial clearing

The American Civil Liberties Union has accused White House officials of unlawfully conspiring to violate protesters' rights. Officials described the Lafayette Park clearing an "unprovoked and frankly criminal attack."



The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration, alleging that White House officials "unlawfully conspired to violate" protesters' rights when US security forces forcefully cleared Lafayette Park earlier this week.

Police fired smoke bombs and pepper balls at peaceful protesters in order to make way for US President Donald Trump's walk to a photo-op at a historic church.

Read more: George Floyd latest: Memorials take place across the US

The lawsuit accuses US Attorney General William Barr and other senior officials of wrongful action, describing the dispersal as a "coordinated and unprovoked charge into the crowd of demonstrators."

"The President's shameless, unconstitutional, unprovoked and frankly criminal attack on protesters because he disagreed with their views shakes the foundation of our nation's constitutional order," said Scott Michelman, legal director at ACLU's Washington DC branch.

'He tries to divide us'

The Trump administration has come under fierce criticism, including from current and former officials, for repressing the protest in order to make way for Trump to walk to a historic church for a photo-op.

Shortly before the protesters were dispersed, Trump threatened to deploy the US military on American soil to quell protests, a remark that was criticized by former generals, including Mike Mullen, the 17th Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Earlier this week, Trump's former defense secretary, James Mattis, denounced the US President for intentionally seeking to divide the country and trying to politicize the military.

Read more: Opinion: US racism part of everyday life

"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to," Mattis said in a statement published by The Atlantic magazine.

"Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort."

ls/rc (AFP, AP)

Date 05.06.2020
Related Subjects Donald Trump
Keywords Donald Trump, George Floyd, civil rights, ACLU

Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3dHhA



BOOGEY MAN
George Floyd protests: Trump, officials blame extremist 'outsiders' for violence

Both far-right and far-left groups have been blamed for violence at recent US anti-racism protests, with videos showing white people escalating tensions. Black protesters worry that they'll end up in the crossfire.

US state and federal officials say that organized rioters have been attending protests against police brutality in several major cities with the specific aim of sparking violence and destruction.

Public anger has poured onto the streets following the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis on Monday, who died when a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck while being arrested.

Officials have offered up little evidence to support their claims that these groups are the primary drivers of violent unrest, with the chaos at the demonstrations making it difficult to verify their identities and motives.



Trump blames AntifaUS President Donald Trump and his administration have solely blamed left-wing extremists and Antifa for prompting violence at the protests — but again, have not provided evidence.

Trump's main target has been Antifa, a loose network comprised of radical left-wing activists that confront right-wing extremists, neo-Nazi groups and white supremacists.

On Sunday, the US leader railed against Antifa and other left-wing groups on Twitter, congratulating the National Guard for a "total shutdown" of protesters.

He also said that the US will be "designating Antifa as a terrorist organization," a threat he also made last year which sparked an international backlash.

Trump's push to blame the far-left and to blame local leaders for their handling of the protests is a move that will likely cause more national divisions in the days and weeks to come.

Read more: Donald Trump: Twitter hides tweet for 'glorifying violence'

Even drug cartels blamed

On Saturday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told reporters he'd heard unconfirmed reports that white supremacists and even drug cartels "are trying to take advantage of the chaos." The city of Minneapolis has seen five consecutive nights of protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Vice News, however, reported that several members of far-right militia groups were spotted at the protests in Minneapolis, including from the "Boogaloo Bois" and the "III% militia" network — two groups that advocate for violent confrontation with law enforcement and hope to stoke civil war in the United States.

Vice also reported that a fascist group used its Telegram channel to encourage neo-Nazi followers to attack black people at the protests and spark a "race war."

Minnesota Public Radio also cited several witnesses who spotted armed white men at the protests, some who were traveling in vehicles with white supremacist insignias.

Watch video 
“You’re going to get maced!” Police threaten DW reporter  
https://p.dw.com/p/3d4rJ

Protesters worried about appropriation
GLAD TO REPORT THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED JUNE 6,2020

Although the motives behind those carrying out the looting and rioting remain unclear, there is stronger evidence that some of the more violent protesters in recent days traveled to dozens of US cities to take part in the protests.

In New York City, police charged a white woman from upstate New York who threw a Molotov cocktail at a police vehicle while four officers were inside.

In Detroit, 37 of the 60 protesters arrested did not live in the city. Although Detroit is almost 80% black, many of those arrested were white, police said.


Videos have circulated on social media of white people leading the charge in vandalizing buildings or in looting stores.
Local groups in Minnesota have noticed the trend as well — raising concerns about the effect that their sometimes violent involvement will have for local black communities and potentially diluting the overall message of the protests.

"I think about a third of the people are from out of town here to make the city burn,'' said Justin Terrell, executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, to the Associated Press.

"It is just putting black people in a crossfire not just between fascists and anarchists — but putting us in a crossfire with the national guard."

rs/mm (AP, AFP)

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