After the death of black George Floyd, protests in the USA escalate - the guilty parties have already been determined for US President Donald Trump.
- After the death of African American George Floyd * , police violence is protested in the United States .
- Donald Trump * blames violent left-wing incidents .
- However, the US President * has so far been unable to provide evidence for his thesis.
Minneapolis - The death of African American George Floyd * after a brutal police operation in the city of Minneapolis causes horror worldwide - and anger. In the United States, protests against police violence never stop. There are repeated riots .
George Floyd had died in a Minneapolis police operation after a white policeman had held his knee up for several minutes, despite the fact that Floyd complained of breathlessness. Floyd was unarmed.
Floyd's pleading words - "I can't breathe" - are now the protesters' call to battle . They should express the attitude towards life of many African Americans. Not just because of the centuries of discrimination. It is also black and other minorities that have been particularly hard hit by the corona crisis * .
George Floyd dies: Trump speaks of "radical extremists"
In the past few days, US President Donald Trump * had blamed the anti-fascist movement and other "radical extremists" for the fact that the initially peaceful demonstrations turned into riots - and now wants the extreme left-wing "Antifa" movement to be put on the list of terrorist organizations . "The United States will place Antifa in the category of terrorist organizations," Trump said on Twitter .
In further tweets, Trump congratulated the security forces on getting the situation in the city of Minneapolis under control on Saturday night. "The anarchists, who are primarily led by Antifa, were quickly stopped," Trump said. This should have been done by the city mayor on the first night, he said, referring to Jacob Frey , the city's democratic mayor.
Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020Trump on protests against police violence: it's not about George Floyd
Trump said the demonstrators were not interested in honoring George Floyd. Rather, they are left-wing chaots who only want to riot. "The violence and vandalism are led by Antifa and other violent left-wing groups," Trump said. "Leftist criminals, criminals and others in our country and around the world will not be allowed to set our communities on fire."
After Trump, US Attorney General William Barr blamed leftist groups. "Organized violence is led by Antifa and other similar groups," he said. He had previously said in a television speech that violence in many places was "planned, organized and driven by anarchist and left-wing extremist groups". It is "domestic terrorism". Barr announced that the judiciary would hold those responsible for the riots accountable.
Antifa to blame for unrest? Critics warn of right-wing extremists
Evidence of their allegations was not provided by either Barr or the US President. However, the theory fits in Trump's concept: Last August, Trump had already said that he was considering having Antifa declared a terrorist organization.
He did not say how this should work due to the lack of organizational structures in the loose alliance. A few days later, a suspected racist shot more than 20 people in El Paso * (Texas). He said he wanted to kill as many Mexicans as possible. Not only since this bloody deed do critics think that it is not anti-fascists that pose the greatest threat to the USA, but right-wing extremists .
AFP / dpa / frs
* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © AFP / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS
