Published 07:12 IST, June 13th 2020
Trump says chokeholds sound 'innocent and perfect', cites scenario where cops might use it
Even as the anti-racism protests continue to ravage the United States, Donald Trump has sparked another controversy by making comments on chokeholds.
Even as the anti-racism protests continue to ravage the United States, Donald Trump has sparked another controversy by making comments on chokeholds, calling them “so innocent and so perfect”.
Trump, in an interview with an international media outlet, said that he doesn't like chokeholds and that they should be ended but he also gave a scenario in which a police officer could be alone and fighting, thus justifying chokehold move.
"Sometimes if you're alone, and you're fighting someone who is tough, and you get somebody in a chokehold. What you gonna do now? Let go and say: 'Oh let's start all over again?' I'm not allowed to have you in a chokehold,'" Trump said.
“I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent, so perfect. And then you, realize if it's a one-on-one ... if a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he's got somebody... So you have to be very careful." “With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended," said the US President while giving a situation in which a police officer might have to use a chokehold instinctively without worrying if it's legal or banned.
Trump was discussing chokehold as the police tactic has now come under fresh scrutiny in the wake of George Floyd's tragic death. The chokehold has become a symbol of police brutality and it has been repeatedly demanded by demonstrators to ban the move, even though it was not used by police in George Floyd's case. A chokehold is a tactic in which an officer puts his or her arm around the neck of a suspect, blocking airflow.
Trump has also decided to hold a rally on June 19 to mark the celebration of the end of slavery of African Americans. However, he picked a city known for a historic massacre of African Americans.
George Floyd's death
George Floyd's death has triggered mass unrest in various parts of the US. 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. 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.
Thousands of American citizens have hit the streets in protest against racial discrimination and injustice. However, the protest later took a turn for the worse with several incidents of vandalism, looting and riots as protestors barged into stores, malls and shops damaged the places and looted them in the name of protests.
Updated 07:12 IST, June 13th 2020