Published 06:59 IST, June 2nd 2020
Donald Trump to deploy military against 'angry mobs' protesting George Floyd's death
Amid violent protests over the killing of George Floyd, Donald Trump threatened to deploy the US military to American cities in order to quell the protests
Amid violent protests over the killing of George Floyd, United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared himself "the president of law and order" and threatened to deploy the United States military to American cities to quell a rise of violent protests. Narrating a series of incidents where people have been attacked and buildings have been vandalized during the on-going protest while also ensuring justice to George Floyd and his family, Trump said that violent acts are not of 'peaceful protesters but are examples of domestic terror'. He declared: "I am taking immediate presidential action to stop the violence and restore safety and security in America. I am mobilizing all available federal resources - civilian and military to stop rioting and looting.."
The US president then announced the deployment of the military: "Today I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Gaurd in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets. Mayors and Governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled. If the city or states refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence then I will deploy the US military and quickly solve the problem for them."
Calling himself 'president of law and order', Trump began his address by saying: "My first and highest duty defend our great Country and the American People. I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our Nation -- and that is exactly what I will do. All Americans rightly sickened by the brutal death of George Floyd. My administration is fully committed that for George and his family justice will be served and he will not have died in vain. But we cannot allow the righteous cries and peaceful protesters to be drown out by the angry mobs. The biggest victim of rioting are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities and as their president, I will fight to keep them safe. I will fight to keep you safe. I am the president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters."
George Floyd's death
The 46-year-old George Floyd suffered a cardiac arrest while being restrained by Minneapolis police, the post mortem report found. The report stated that Floyd died as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". A video went viral in which a white police officer is seen kneeling on Floyd's neck despite Floyd's continuous plea stating that he could not breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court this week. Three other police officers have been fired.
For six consecutive days, there has been widespread protests around the United States. Tensions and violence continue to escalate in many areas including outside White House, with protesters demanding justice for Georgy Floyd and his family.
Protest outside White House turns violent
US President Donald Trump was rushed to a White House bunker after protest intensified outside the executive mansion on May 29, with some protesters resorting to stone-pelting. According to AP sources, the US President spent nearly an hour in the bunker which has been designed for emergency situations like terror attacks. The protests outside the White House turned violent and sparked one of the highest alerts since the 9/11 attack, prompting Secret Service agents to move Trump to the bunker.
Trump reportedly confided to his advisers that he worries about his safety but the next day he tweeted that he “couldn’t have felt more safe”. In a series of tweets, Trump said that protesters outside the White House would have been "greeted with vicious dogs had they come closer". He also hailed the Secret Services for their professionalism and for efficiently clamping down on protesters who were demonstrating outside the White House.
Updated 06:59 IST, June 2nd 2020