Mexican zoo saves animals endangered by virus crisis

AFP / RASHIDE FRIASA worker looks at a bengal tiger in Culiacan zoo, Mexico, after it was handed over by its previous owner

Kira, a two and a half year-old tiger, arrived at a zoo in Mexico's northeast in April after her owner could no longer feed her due to the coronavirus-induced economic collapse.

The imposing 130-kilogram tigress was sedated and transported in a cage by truck to her new home in Culiacan zoo in Sinaloa state.

Her owner had responded to a campaign by Mexico's Association of Zoos, Nurseries and Aquariums (AZCARM) to avoid abandoning wild animals during the lockdown.

"Abandonment happens when people can't cope with their animals any more, and in this pandemic, faced with the lack of economic resources and places to keep them, they prefer to get rid of them," AZCARM president Ernesto Zazueta told AFP.

Alongside the big cat, the Culiacan zoo also welcomed during the lockdown a python, a baby manatee and 14 green macaws, as well as 49 deer rescued from a sugar mill in Tabasco.

- Malnourished deer -

The deer arrived at the zoo suffering from malnutrition. Now they graze in a large enclosure alongside ostriches, giraffes and antelopes.

"The tiger was reported because they couldn't look after it; but as for the deer... it was an emergency because they didn't have any food or even anyone to look after them, on top of being in a place that was inadequate for the species," said Diego Garcia, Culiacan's director.

AFP / RASHIDE FRIASThe tiger's owner had responded to a campaign to avoid abandoning animals during the COVID-19 lockdown

Mexican zoos have been rescuing illegally trafficked wild animals for years, and others from circuses since a 2015 ban on shows using live animals.

In these reserves, experts try to rehabilitate the animals and where possible return them to their natural habitat.

However, many are forced to live the rest of their lives in zoos because of the long-term physical damages they've suffered or because they've lost their wild instincts.

"When the animals arrive we evaluate them, we rehabilitate them ... Many cannot return to the wild because they don't know how to survive, they don't know how to hunt, nor how to defend themselves," said Zazueta.

- Magnet for illegal traffickers -

Mexican zoos are struggling, like many businesses, due to lockdown rules imposed over the coronavirus and depriving them of vital entrance fess.

AFP / RASHIDE FRIASThese deer were rescued from a ranch in Tabasco state

AZCARM is asking the government for support in food donations and in allowing zoos to reopen in the first phase of the country's "new normality," which saw essential businesses including mining, construction and aviation reactivated from Monday.

Kira and other animals at the Culiacan zoo have been fed on a monthly donation of 3.5 tons of meat from a local company.

And despite the difficulties, all the animals "are being very well cared for and well fed," said Zazueta.

Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, according to the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

AFP / RASHIDE FRIASGreen macaws were seized by Mexican authorities during a raid to prevent animal trafficking

It is home to 10-12 percent of the biological species on the planet, is number one for reptiles and second for mammals, the government says.

3JUN2020

   

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DNA research uncovers Dead Sea Scrolls mystery

AFP / MENAHEM KAHANA

The parchment and papyrus Dead Sea Scrolls contain Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and include some of the earliest-known texts from the Bible, including the oldest surviving copy of the Ten Commandments

DNA research on the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed that not all of the ancient manuscripts came from the desert landscape where they were discovered, according to a study published Tuesday.

Numbering around 900, the manuscripts were found between 1947 -- first by Bedouin shepherds -- and 1956 in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea that are today located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The parchment and papyrus scrolls contain Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and include some of the earliest-known texts from the Bible, including the oldest surviving copy of the Ten Commandments.

Research on the texts has been ongoing for decades and in the latest study, DNA tests on manuscript fragments indicate that some were not originally from the area around the caves.

"We have discovered through analysing parchment fragments that some texts were written on the skin of cows and sheep, whereas before we thought they had all been written on goat skin," said researcher Pnina Shor, who heads the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) project studying the manuscripts.

"This proves that the manuscripts do not come from the desert where they were found," she told AFP.

The researchers from the IAA and Tel Aviv University were unable to pinpoint where the fragments came from during their seven-year study, which focused on 13 texts.

The Dead Sea Scrolls date from the third century BC to the first century AD.

- 'Parts of a puzzle' -

Many experts believe the manuscripts were written by the Essenes, a dissident Jewish sect that had retreated into the Judaean desert around Qumran and its caves. Others argue that some of the texts were hidden by Jews fleeing the advance of the Romans.

"These initial results will have repercussions on the study of the life of Jews during the period of the Second Temple" in Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Romans in AD70, said Shor.

AFP / MENAHEM KAHANASome 25,000 parchment fragments have been discovered and the Dead Sea Scrolls texts have been continuously studied for more than 60 years

Such archaeological research remains a sensitive subject in Israel and the Palestinian territories, as findings are sometimes used by organisations or political parties to justify their claims to contested land.

Beatriz Riestra, a researcher who took part in the study, pointed to "differences at the same time in the content and the style of calligraphy, but also in the animal skin used for the parchment, proving they are of different origin".

In total, some 25,000 parchment fragments have been discovered and the texts have been continuously studied for more than 60 years.

"It's like piecing together parts of a puzzle," said Oded Rechavi, a professor who led the Tel Aviv University team.

"There are many scrolls fragments that we don't know how to connect, and if we connect wrong pieces together it can change dramatically the interpretation of any scroll," he said.
3JUN2020

Football pitch of rainforest destroyed every six seconds

AFP / CARL DE SOUZARainforests harbour the richest diversity of wildlife on Earth

Vast tracts of pristine rainforest on three continents went up in smoke last year, with an area roughly the size of Switzerland cut down or burned to make way for cattle and commercial crops, researchers said Tuesday.

Brazil accounted for more than a third of the loss, with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia a distant second and third, Global Forest Watch said in its annual report, based on satellite data.

The 38,000 square kilometres (14,500 square miles) destroyed in 2019 -- equivalent to a football pitch of old-growth trees every six seconds -- made it the third most devastating year for primary forests since the scientists began tracking their decline two decades ago.

"We are concerned that the rate of loss is so high despite all the efforts of different countries and companies to reduce deforestation," lead researcher Mikaela Weisse, Global Forest Watch project manager at the World Resources Institute (WRI), told AFP.

If second-growth forests and plantations are included, the total area of tropical forest levelled by fire and bulldozers worldwide in 2019 was in fact three times bigger.

But virgin rainforests, as they were once known, are especially precious.

AFP / Patricio ARANABrazil accounted for more than a third of the loss

Undisturbed by modern development, they harbour the richest diversity of wildlife on Earth, and keep huge stores of carbon locked in their woody mass.

When set ablaze, that carbon escapes into the atmosphere as planet-warming CO2.

"It will take decades or even centuries for these forests to get back to their original state" -- assuming, of course, that the land they once covered is left undisturbed, Weisse said.

The forest fires that engulfed parts of Brazil last year made front-page news as the climate crisis loomed large in the public eye. but were not the main cause of Brazil's loss of primary forest, the data showed.

Satellite images revealed many new "hot spots" of forest destruction. In the state of Para, for example, these fire-ravaged zones corresponded to reports of illegal land-grabs inside the Trincheira/Bacaja indigenous reserve.

- Rare bright spot -

And that was before President Jair Bolsonaro's government proposed legislation that would relax restrictions within these nominally protected regions on commercial mining, oil and gas extraction, and large-scale agriculture -- all of which could make such incursions even more common.

Frances Seymour, a senior fellow at WRI, said this is not only unjust for the people who have lived in Brazil's rainforests for uncounted generations, but also bad management.

AFP/File / Raul ARBOLEDAA Colombian Huitoto indigenous man. A mounting body of evidence suggests that legal recognition of indigenous land rights provides greater forest protection

"We know that deforestation is lower in indigenous territories," she said. "A mounting body of evidence suggests that legal recognition of indigenous land rights provides greater forest protection."

The coronavirus pandemic could also make things worse, not just in Brazil -- which has been hit especially hard by COVID-19 -- but anywhere it saps the already anaemic enforcement capacities of tropical forest nations.

"Anecdotal reports of increased levels of illegal logging, mining, poaching and other forest crimes are streaming in from all over the world," Seymour noted.

Neighbouring Bolivia saw unprecedented tree-cover loss in 2019 -- 80 percent higher than any year on record -- due to fires, both within primary forests and surrounding woodlands.

Soy production and cattle ranching were the two main drivers.

Australia was devastated last year by wildfires that caused dozens of deaths, destroyed thousands of homes and killed hundreds of millions of animals.

The area of tree cover lost to the blazes increased six-fold compared to the year before, and was by far the largest ever recorded.

"We will probably see a high level of loss in 2020 since some of the fires were still raging" well into the new year, Weisse said.

Indonesia, meanwhile, showed a five percent drop in the area of forest -- 3,240 sq km -- destroyed in 2019, the third consecutive year of decline, and nearly three times less than in the peak year 2016.

AFP/File / Simon MALFATTOThe planet lost 24 million hectares in forest cover in 2019

"Indonesia has been one of the few bright spots in the global data on tropical deforestation over the last few years," Seymour and two colleagues wrote in a recent blog post.

Tropical ecosystems are vulnerable to both climate change and extractive exploitation.

A study in March calculated that the Amazon rainforest is nearing a threshold of deforestation which, once crossed, would see it morph into arid savannah within half a century.

The other countries with the most severe losses of primary forests in 2019 were Peru (1,620 sq km), Malaysia (1,200 sq km), and Colombia (1,150 sq km), followed by Laos, Mexico and Cambodia, all with less than 800 sq km.

TRUMP TO DECLARE MARTIAL LAW
 Pentagon moves 1,600 troops to D.C. area
By Don Jacobson & Danielle Haynes & Daniel Uria

NYPD Police officers in riot gear stop protesters from entering Manhattan at the Manhattan Bridge on another night of unrest in Manhattan Tuesday as protests, looting and rioting around the country continue over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 2 (UPI) -- The Pentagon on Tuesday night moved about 1,600 active-duty Army troops to assist authorities in responding to protests sparked by the police-involved killing of George Floyd if needed.

Pentagon Chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman confirmed the soldiers were moved from Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to the Washington, D.C. area but active-duty forces have not yet been deployed.

"The Department of Defense moved multiple active-duty Army units into the National Capitol Region as a prudent planning measure in response to ongoing support to civil authorities and operations," said Hoffman in a statement.

The move came as many Washington, D.C., protesters remained in place beyond a 7 p.m. curfew Trump declared would be "strictly enforced" during a national address on Monday evening. He threatened tosend the U.S. military into cities that don't control violent demonstrations.

"If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," he said.

Trump's address was followed by federal law enforcement forcefully clearing protesters as the president posed for a photo in front of St. John's Church, an action Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called "shameful."

Tuesday, Trump said tensions were calming in and around Washington, D.C.

"D.C. had no problems last night," he tweeted. "Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination. Likewise, Minneapolis was great."

Congressional Democrats spoke out against Trump's threat to deploy the military in response to protesters, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying "there is no reason" for the military to be involved.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran and Democrat from Illinois, described Trump's threat of military force against protesters as "tin-pot dictatorial."

"We cannot allow any Commander in Chief to put our Armed Forces' reputation as the last institution Americans can trust and respect at risk by using them unlawfully and putting them in a position of exacerbating the divisions driving our union apart," she said.

Bracing for an eighth night of protests, Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Cleveland and multiple cities in California joined Washington, D.C., in issuing curfews on Tuesday.

Trump also called on his hometown of New York City to call up the National Guard for help.

"The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart," he tweeted. "Act fast! Don't make the same horrible and deadly mistake you made with the Nursing Homes!"

Trump also criticized New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not activating the National Guard.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio extended a curfew of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the rest of this week after a night of looting and violence on Monday during which police officers were targeted.

A group of protesters in New York City were boxed in by police on both ends of the Manhattan Bridge for several hours after the curfew took effect as they left a group protesting in Brooklyn. At around 11 p.m., protests were seen finally being allowed to exit the bridge.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday the state would reduce National Guard presence in Lousiville after a man named David McAtee was killed by gunfire from local police and the National Guard.

Police in Atlanta deployed tear gas on protesters in Atlanta as the city's 9 p.m. curfew went into effect Tuesday night, CNN reported.

Curfews failed to rein in violence during protests on Monday, which led to a number of injured -- including multiple law enforcement officers.

At least four police officers in St. Louis received gunshot wounds and a man in Las Vegas was killed during mass demonstrations. Officials said a Las Vegas officer is also on life support with critical injuries.

The New York City Police Department arrested more than 700 protesters overnight. Looters damaged the flagship Macy's department store in midtown Manhattan, emptied a Nike store and broke storefront windows near Rockefeller Center.

Violence, fires and looting spread into the Bronx, where police said an officer was targeted in a hit-and-run attack.

"That is wholly unacceptable and does not represent the people of this city," de Blasio said. "Anyone who attacks a police officer attacks all of us."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticized de Blasio on Tuesday morning for not deploying enough police officers to handle the outbreaks of violence.

"I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem. I believe he underestimates the duration of the problem, and I don't think they've used enough police to address the situation," the governor said.

Giving my daily press briefing now. Watch Live: https://t.co/yYmCJKgLJ0— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 2, 2020

Cuomo said the mayor didn't accept his offer to send the National Guard to the state's largest city. The governor threatened to override the mayor.

"Can you displace a mayor? Yes. A mayor can be removed. It has not happened. I can't find a precedent. But theoretically it is legally possible," Cuomo said.

"It is a bizarre thing to try to do in this situation. I think it would make a bad situation worse. Also, I don't think it's necessary, because I believe the NYPD can do this, because the NYPD has done this.

Two autopsies issued Monday agreed that Floyd's death was a homicide, but they differed on the precise cause.

An independent autopsy said he died from mechanical asphyxiation, while the county coroner said Floyd died of "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression."

The county's autopsy said Floyd also had "other significant conditions" including arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication and "recent" methamphetamine use.

Tuesday, Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. They observed a moment of remembrance near the statue of Saint John Paul II and visited the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, the John Paul II blood relic and the Madonna icon.

The Trumps also laid a wreath at the site before departing.

Floyd's funeral is scheduled for June 9 in his hometown of Houston. Monday, Terrence Floyd visited the site of his brother's death in Minneapolis and urged for calm amid growing national unrest.

"I know he would not want you all to be doing this," he said, asking angry demonstrators to get out and vote for change and demand justice peacefully.

"If I'm not over here blowing up stuff, if I'm not over here messing up my community -- then what are y'all doing?" he added. "That's not going to bring my brother back."

In Denver, authorities charged a 37-year-old man with striking three police officers and a civilian during a hit-and-run late incident over the weekend.

Demonstrations in Denver were mostly peaceful Monday night as thousands gathered at the State Capitol and knelt to honor Floyd.

Tuesday, the European Union's top diplomat called Floyd's death an "abuse of power."

EU High Representative Josep Borrell told reporters that such abuses must be denounced and condemned.

"We here in Europe, like the people of the United States, are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd, and I think that all societies must remain vigilant against excessive use of force and ensure that all such incidents are addressed swiftly effectively and in full respect of the rule of law and human rights," Borrell said.

The EU, he added, supports "the right to peaceful protest and we condemn violence and racism of any kind, and we call for a de-escalation of tensions."

U.S. protests death of George Floyd

An American flag with a portrait of George Floyd is seen during a protest outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles on June 1. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

 

Trump says to send 'thousands' of troops, police to US capital's streets

AFP / Brendan SmialowskiUS President Donald Trump holds up a bible in front of St John's Episcopal church after walking across Lafayette Park from the White House in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he was deploying thousands of "heavily armed" soldiers and police to prevent further protests in Washington, where buildings and monuments have been vandalized near the White House.

"What happened in the city last night was a total disgrace," he said during a nationwide address as tear gas went off and crowds protested in the streets nearby.

"I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property."

He denounced "acts of domestic terror" after nationwide protests against the death of an unarmed African American George Floyd in police custody devolved into days of violent race riots across the country.

"I want the organizers of this terror to be on notice that you will face severe criminal penalties and a lengthy sentences in jail," Trump said as police could be heard using tear gas and stun grenades to clear protestors just outside the White House.

He also called on state governors to "deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets" before heading on foot for a photo op at the riot-damaged St. John's, the two-century-old "church of the presidents" across from the White House.

One week after Floyd died in Minneapolis, an autopsy blamed his videotaped death squarely on a white police officer who pinned him down by the neck with his knee for nearly nine minutes as Floyd pleaded, "I can't breathe!"

"The evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death, and homicide as the manner of death," Aleccia Wilson, a University of Michigan expert who examined his body at the family's request, told a news conference.

The unrest has been the most widespread in the United States since 1968, when cities went up in flames over the slaying of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., and rekindled memories of 1992 riots in Los Angeles after police were acquitted in the brutal beating of black motorist Rodney King.

Trump threatens military mobilization against violent US protests

AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDTMilitary police officers restrain a protestor near the White House on June 1, 2020

President Donald Trump vowed to order a military crackdown on once-in-a-generation violent protests gripping the United States, saying he was sending thousands of troops onto the streets of the capital and threatening to deploy soldiers to states unable to regain control.

The dramatic escalation came a week after the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck, leading to the worst civil unrest in decades in New York, Los Angeles and dozens of other American cities.

In the Midwest, police were early Tuesday trying to bring the city of St Louis under control after a night of looting and violence in which four officers were shot, police chief Colonel John Hayden said, adding their injuries were not life-threatening.

"Mr Floyd was killed somewhere else and they're tearing up cities all across the country," a visibly emotional Hayden said.

AFP / Brendan SmialowskiUS President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of St John's Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020

After being criticized for his silence on the worsening crisis, Trump struck a martial tone in a nationwide address Monday from the White House garden, as police fired tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the fence.

"I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property," Trump said.

He slammed the previous night's unrest in Washington as a "total disgrace" and called on governors to "dominate the streets."

AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDTA protester is arrested near the White House on June 1, 2020

"If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them," he said, denouncing "acts of domestic terror."

Despite the president's rhetoric, Monday's protests appeared largely peaceful in major cities, though some looting was reported in New York and Los Angeles.

During his address, however, law enforcement including military police used tear gas to clear protesters outside the White House so the president could walk across the street to the two-centuries-old St John's church, hit with graffiti and partially damaged by fire during unrest on Sunday.

AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDTProtestors are tear gassed as the police disperse them near the White House on June 1, 2020

"We have a great country," Trump declared as he stood before the church's boarded-up windows, held up a Bible and posed for photographs.

The backlash was swift.

"He's using the American military against the American people," tweeted Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

"He tear-gassed peaceful protesters and fired rubber bullets. For a photo. For our children, for the very soul of our country, we must defeat him," he said.

Washington's Episcopalian bishop, Mariann Budde, said she was "outraged" at the church visit, which she said Trump did not have permission for.

AFP / Frederic J. BROWNA man in wheelchair with his dog confronts a National Guard officer during a march in Los Angeles on June 1, 2020

Thousands of people have participated in the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism since Floyd's killing.

It has been the most widespread unrest in the United States since 1968, when cities went up in flames over the slaying of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Many of the demonstrations have been peaceful and marked by moments of catharsis, such as officers hugging tearful protesters and marching or kneeling alongside them.

- 'Homicide' -

Others have seen rage-filled clashes between protesters and police, and widespread property damage. One person was shot dead in Louisville, Kentucky.

AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDTA protestor grabs his bike as the police use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd gathered near the White House on June 1, 2020

Floyd's agonizing death was caught on bystander cell phone video that shows policeman Derek Chauvin pinning him down with his knee for nearly nine minutes, as the 46-year-old pleaded for his life with the haunting words: "I can't breathe!"

"The evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death, and homicide as the manner of death," said Allecia Wilson, a University of Michigan expert who examined his body at the family's request.

Hennepin County's medical examiner released its own official autopsy calling the death a homicide caused by "neck compression," although it had also said he was intoxicated and pointed to heart disease.

AFP / Daniel SLIMThe windows of the Apple store in Washington DC on June 1, 2020 are boarded up after being looted in the night following protests

A memorial for Floyd will take place on Thursday in Minneapolis before his funeral in Houston, where he grew up, on June 9.

Floyd, 46, had been accused of trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit bill.

The autopsy revived demands for the arrest of three other police officers who stood guard for Chauvin as Floyd lay dying.

Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and is due to appear in court June 8.

- 'We've had enough' -

More than 40 cities have imposed curfews after consecutive nights of tension.

AFP / Bryan R. SmithLooters targeted shops across New York, including luxury stores and electronics outlets

More looting took place in New York on Monday night, an AFP reporter saw, with stores including Best Buy and Nike damaged. Police said they had arrested "hundreds" across the city.

After widespread looting in Manhattan, New York mayor Bill de Blasio said a curfew would be imposed from 8:00 pm Tuesday, three hours earlier than Monday's.

"We support peaceful protest in this city. But right now it's time to go home," de Blasio tweeted.

In Los Angeles, where the National Guard were deployed at Hollywood landmarks such as the Dolby Theatre, some looting was also reported, though protests were largely peaceful.

"Deep down inside us, we've had enough," said 30-year-old Jessica Hubbert, a protester.

Trump spent most of the weekend inside the White House tweeting attacks on political rivals and the media.

In a leaked conference call Monday, he told state governors they were "going to look like a bunch of jerks" if they were too soft.

The governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, is heard saying he was "extraordinarily concerned" by the president's "inflammatory" rhetoric.

Biden met Monday with black leaders at a church in his home of Wilmington, Delaware and promised to form a police oversight commission in his first 100 days as president.

burs-st/mtp/fox

Anxiety rises over attacks on media covering US protests

AFP/File / CHANDAN KHANNAA journalist is seen bleeding after police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets during a demonstration to call for justice for George Floyd, a black man who died while in custody of the Minneapolis police

A wave of attacks on journalists covering US protests is driving growing anxiety in the media, with some blaming President Donald Trump for creating an atmosphere that encourages violence.

Over the past week media watchdogs have logged scores of incidents of police violence against journalists -- with crews shot at, beaten, kicked, pepper-sprayed or arrested -- with many incidents captured on camera.

An open letter to law enforcement endorsed by 18 press freedom organizations including the National Press Club and Committee to Protect Journalists called for a halt to "the deliberate and devastating targeting of journalists in the field."

A tally by media watchdog groups cited 192 press freedom violations during the latest wave of protests including 131 assaults, of which 108 were by police.

AFP / ROBERTO SCHMIDTJournalists covering the anti-police brutality protests have faced a wave of attacks, many from police, with some saying the hostility stems from President Donald Trump's attacks on the press

The tally included 31 arrests, 46 firings of rubber bullets, 30 cases of damage to equipment, 30 incidents of tear gas and 17 pepper sprayings.

Some media advocates say Trump's persistent bashing of the mainstream press has opened the door to attacks by undermining the credibility of journalists covering the protests following the police killing of a black man in Minnesota last week.

"This definitely creates an atmosphere where you are likely to see attacks on reporters," said Len Downie, a former Washington Post executive editor who is a professor at Arizona State University and authored a study earlier this year on the Trump administration and the media.

Downie said that while Trump may not explicitly encourage violence against the press, his harsh rhetoric "deepens the divide" over credibility.

"The country is split between those who believe the president and those who believe the press," he said.

- 'I'm with the press! -

Some stunned journalists took to Twitter recounting mistreatment, while others posted videos.

AFP / Johannes EISELESome of the journalists covering the anti-racism protests say they have been subjected to attacks by police making no distinction between media and demonstrators

"After showing my badge and yelling 'I am with the press' a @RichmondPolice officer sprayed pepper spray in my face and shoved me to the ground. Had 3397 on his helmet," tweeted radio reporter Roberto Roldan of Richmond, Virginia.

One video showed an Australian TV crew being pushed to the ground by police near the White House in Washington

"This is alarming," said National Press Club president Michael Freedman.

"The instances I've seen have all included journalists playing by the rules, and we hope officials on the other side play by the same standards."

Patricia Gallagher Newberry, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, said Trump's attacks have had a "harmful effect."

Instead of attacking the media, elected officials "should speak out in defense of journalists and call on the community to protect journalists," Newberry said.

"This is not supposed to happen in the United Stated of America. We have press freedom built into our Constitution. So to see police and protesters attacking the storytellers is shocking, is disheartening, is illegal and it is really disturbing."

- Making things worse -

Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, also highlighted the importance of the Trump attacks on media.

"While Trump didn't make covering US protests dangerous, he has made the situation worse," Simon wrote in a column for the Columbia Journalism Review.

AFP/File / CHANDAN KHANNAJournalists faced rubber bullets and tear gas as the covered protests over a police killing of a black man in Minnesota

"It is certainly possible that the president’s anti-media rhetoric has emboldened local police, who are attacking and arresting journalists at a pace not seen in recent history. And it is also possible that some protesters who have attacked journalists are Trump supporters motivated by his denunciations of fake news."

The latest incidents come with many media outlets taking an economic hit from the virus pandemic while struggling to keep readers informed on critical issues.

Media advocates say the shocking incidents underscore an erosion of respect for the constitutional guarantees of free press in recent years.

"The scenes that played out across the country over the last week cannot be covered from a 'safe' distance," said Jon Schleuss, president of the NewsGuild, the union representing thousands of journalists.

"Reporters and photographers understand the risks and don't expect special treatment. But attacking them for newsgathering is an unconstitutional attack on all Americans."