Arrest of protesters by US federal agents is scandalous

Human rights activists and American elected officials strongly denounced the summary arrest of demonstrators Friday, arrested on the streets of Portland and taken away by federal agents circulating in unmarked vehicles. "What is happening in Portland right now should worry everyone in the United States," said Jann Carson, head of the powerful civil rights organization ACLU in the northwestern state of Oregon. "Usually when you see people in unmarked cars forcibly take someone from the street, it's called an abduction," he added.

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According to local media reports, federal agents have been traveling through central Portland and arrested protesters without providing reasons since at least July 14. Mark Pettibone, 29, told the Washington Post how he was arrested by men in persimmon uniforms from a civilian van that had stopped near him: "It looked like a scary or science fiction movie fiction ” . The young man said he was taken to a federal court and released later without being told the reasons for his arrest and whether or not he was charged with a crime.

"Political comedy"

In a statement released on Friday, the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP), which reports to the US Department of the Interior, said that its agents carried out the arrest after having had "information" according to which Mark Pettibone appeared on a video where he was "suspected" of having physically attacked federal agents or property. "When the CBP officers approached the suspect, a large, violent crowd moved towards them. For everyone's safety, the agents quickly transferred the suspect to a safer place for questioning, " the agency said, adding that they had identified themselves and were carrying the suspects. badges of their organization.

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Federal agents have been deployed to Portland to end the nightly protests in front of the city's federal court to protest police brutality and racism. Oregon Democrat Governor Kate Brown criticized the government's intervention in the city on Twitter. "This political comedy of President Trump has nothing to do with public safety," she wrote.