Published 14:37 IST, June 5th 2020
Civil rights group sues Trump administration for using military on George Floyd protestors
Civil rights groups and Black Lives Matter filed a lawsuit against Trump's administration on Thursday for military using tear gas & rubber bullets on protestors
- World News
- 2 min read
After the incident of the US military using tear gas on the protestors for making way for United States President Donald Trump, Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, has filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration and the law enforcement agencies, stating that they violated the constitutional rights of demonstrators.
This comes as the US Military on Monday tear gassed the protestors outside the White House to evacuate them in order to make way for Trump as he walked to the Saint John's Church. Trump using the military on protestors has not gone down well the several sections of American society. The lawsuit filed says the protestors were evacuated violently out of a park on Monday to clear the path for a photo op by President Trump.
Before his walk to Saint John's, Trump warned to deploy the military in cities which saw incidents of vandalism, looting and rioting. He said if the state governors and city mayors fail to deploy national guards to control the situation, he would deploy the armed forces to "quickly solve the problem for them."
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Black Lives Matter D.C., and individual protesters who were in Lafayette Park on Monday evening and faced the rubber bullets and tear gas of US armed forces.
George Floyd's death
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in Minneapolis earlier last week. As per reports, Floyd was arrested by the local police for unspecified charges on May 26. A tussle is said to have broken out between George Floyd and the police officials, which resulted in Floyd’s death after being subdued for several minutes by an officer. In a video that went viral on the internet, the officer was seen pressing his knee against Floyd's neck who was seen gasping for air before turning motionless.
George Floyd's death has triggered mass unrest in various parts of the US. As per reports, police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers - Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng - were later fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder.
Updated 14:37 IST, June 5th 2020
