", "Trump targets Seattle, Portland, NYC, DC by threatening federal funding for 'anarchist' cities", "What we know about the extremists taking part in riots across the US", "Barr says foreign actors are trying to 'exacerbate the violence' at George Floyd protests", "China, Russia, Iran using state media to attack U.S. over Floyd death", "US Accuses Foreign, Online Actors of Inflaming Tensions", "Foreign foes taking advantage of divide over race, national security adviser says", "National security adviser says foreign powers trying to exploit US race relations", "Russia Jumps on Floyd Killing as Proof of U.S. The FBI announced on June 3 that it had arrested in Miami and elsewhere groups of Venezuelans, Haitians (from "Little Haiti"), Cubans, and Hondurans who were being paid to cause violence at demonstrations. [196][197] Steven Carrillo, an active-duty U.S. Air Force sergeant, was charged with Underwood's murder, as well shooting two Santa Cruz County deputies on June 6, killing Sgt. Police say 'violent crowd' denied them entry", "1 teen killed, 1 injured after 4th shooting near Seattle's CHOP", "Latest Seattle CHOP shooting kills 16-year-old boy, critically wounds 14-year-old boy", "Protester killed on Seattle freeway was dedicated to cause", "Indiana woman shot dead after saying 'all lives matter': family", Indy mother becomes 2nd homicide along downtown canal in 1 week, "Armed Protester Shot, Killed By Driver In Austin Identified As Garrett Foster, Alleged Shooter Released From Custody", "Protests in Portland turn deadly after 1 person is killed on the streets downtown", "Mystery remains weeks after a pawnshop owner fatally shot a man during Minneapolis unrest", "Surveillance video confirms that Saint Paul police officer Jacob Pederson is not 'Umbrella Man, "Police: 'Umbrella Man' was a white supremacist trying to incite George Floyd rioting", https://www.startribune.com/for-family-of-man-killed-in-pawnshop-fire-during-george-floyd-unrest-grief-wrapped-in-a-mystery/573079501/, "Police release photo of 2nd suspect in fatal shooting of Eastpointe man", "Federal Protection Services officer killed in Oakland drive-by shooting identified", "Santa Cruz deputy's alleged killer charged with assassinating federal cop in Oakland ambush; authorities link attacks to extremist group that believes civil war looming", "Man charged with murder following deadly shooting of 18-year-old in downtown Indy", "Man shot dead at 26th and Broadway identified", "Man dead in Kentucky after authorities fired at crowd as they cleared parking lot", "George Floyd fallout: 2 killed as unrest erupts in Cicero; Pritzker deploys National Guard to suburbs; 7 counties declared a disaster zone; CTA again suspends service", "2 killed, over 60 arrested in Cicero as unrest continues", "Seattle police claimed protesters blocked way to dying man. Gary LaFree, chairman of the University of Maryland's criminology department, stated that "the case could potentially be included in the university's Global Terrorism Database as the first act of terror linked to antifa". [107] Foster was then taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Shortly after, twin-engine UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters swept just above the tree line over the capital’s streets, buzzing a crowd of protesters with a downwash of air, debris and fuel exhaust in an apparent “show of force,” a maneuver used to cow insurgents in combat zones. A suburban Minneapolis man has been sentenced to five years in prison for firebombing a Dakota County courthouse in the civil unrest that followed the death of George Floyd last year. [291] The apparent motive was to ignite broader violence, though the ideological motive remains unclear. I'm not a member of Antifa. On July 25, an individual drove a through a group of protesters blocking I-225 in Aurora, Colorado to demand action against the death of Elijah McClain. [133], A woman participating in a protest in La Mesa, California was shot by the police with bean-bag round between her eyes, suffering serious injury. Militarized police surged cruisers into crowds, fired rubber bullets at reporters and beat citizens peacefully exercising First Amendment rights. [107] Two memorials to Foster were built in downtown Austin within 24 hours of his death. The charges also alleged that he helped to set the 3rd Precinct on fire and had received money from Carillo in June. The George Floyd protests are an ongoing series of police brutality protests that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. "[286], On June 25, three police officers from Wilmington, North Carolina, were fired after they were caught in a leaked audio tape using derogatory remarks to describe black Americans, saying that they should be slaughtered and that "there should be another civil war to wipe them off the (expletive) map." [291] Administrators of the Facebook page Big Igloo Bois, a splinter of the boogaloo movement, called for members to attend the protests with one administrator stating, "come in peace, prepare for there to be violence. “It’s hard to imagine anything that’s going to be more motivating.”. [261] This is in part because "antifa is a moniker, not a single group", making it difficult to attribute any violence directly to the movement. [212][213][214], In Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 15, Steven Ray Baca shot one of a group of protesters attempting to remove a statue of Juan de Oñate at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. [102], June 29: In Seattle, a 16-year-old boy was killed and a 14-year-old was critically injured in their Jeep Grand Cherokee after being shot in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone. Michael George from the same network also reported his sound engineer being hit by a rubber bullet in the same city. [50][92], June 3: In Bakersfield, California, Robert Forbes, a 50-year-old man was killed after being struck by a vehicle while marching between California Avenue and Oak Street. Damon Gutzwiller. [235], President Trump, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray,[236] New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio,[237] United States Attorney General William Barr, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms,[238] Seattle Police Guild President Mike Solan,[239] and Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray[240] blamed anarchists and "far-left extremist" groups, including antifa, for inciting and organizing violent riots. Floyd had bought a pack of cigarettes with what the clerk suspected was a counterfeit $20 bill. "[17] These incidents have provoked "growing concern that aggressive law enforcement tactics intended to impose order were instead inflaming tensions. "A Reporter's Cry on Live TV: 'I'm Getting Shot! The death of George Floyd drew widespread outrage last May after a video circulated online showing Officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck on a … As he spoke, officers fired rubber bullets and sprayed chemicals to disperse demonstrators outside the White House gates. Chief of Police Brian Manley said they were aiming at another protester and shot Howell by mistake. On the night of May 30, a video was posted online showed a man being assaulted by protesters in Dallas. [280], On May 30, Minnesota officials including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter stated they believed that white nationalists were using the protests as cover for inciting violence,[281] and that Minnesota officials were monitoring the ongoing far-right online effort to incite violence. One in four Americans is out of work. [146], On June 5, all 57 officers of the Buffalo Police Department resigned from the department's Emergency Response Team, either in solidarity with the two officers who were suspended for this event, or because the union was no longer willing to provide legal support for the officers. “It’s hard to see how these riots don’t boost Joe Biden’s claim to be the Alka-Seltzer America needs to soothe its stomach right now.” Stuart Stevens, a Trump critic who served as chief strategist to 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, notes that Trump won in 2016 with 46% of the vote because nonwhite turnout declined for the first time in 20 years. It was later revealed that two of the officers had previous disciplinary issues with the department, including one officer who had been fired but rehired 4 days later. [25] Close announced that the city of Brussels would sue the "delinquents," and Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès, who supported the demonstration, expressed her regrets as to the way it unfolded. [184][185], In Minneapolis, for the second day in a row, police shot at Deutsche Welle journalist Stefan Simons and his crew. In Flint, Mich., the Genesee County sheriff removed his riot gear, laid down his weapons and embraced protesters. According to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University, if Reinoehl is implicated in the case, "it would mark the first time in recent years that an antifa supporter has been charged with homicide" as "hard-left violence has generally been less fatal and more directed towards property, racists and to a lesser extent police and journalists" which is unlike "the white supremacist and the far right, which glorifies mass violence by loners and small cells against minorities and enemies". [14] Clashes and other forms of violence were at various times initiated by protestors, by counterprotestors, and by police,[14] and were usually driven by opportunistic criminals rather than organized extremist groups. Initial claims that the "Umbrella Man" was a Saint Paul police officer were debunked by surveillance video released by the Saint Paul Police Department. Shooting charges were later dropped against Baca after online images emerged showing Williams holding what is rumored to be a knife. Subscribe for just $18. The presence of the [Bolivian] "Che Guevara Brigade" was noted. Shoultz later claimed to be the man who was attacked by these protesters, saying he instigated the fight, explaining he was "trying to protect the bar he likes". [77] Police deny that Forbes was hit intentionally, while others dispute this claim. [164][165] As of May 31, Bellingcat had identified and documented at least 50 separate incidents where journalists were attacked by law enforcement officials during the protests. “We have to do some things that make change. "[274], According to a Twitter spokesperson, an account pretending to belong to a national "antifa" organization and pushing violent rhetoric related to ongoing protests has been linked to the white nationalist group Identity Evropa; Identity Evropa denied the claims. [252] This resulted in Trump publicly criticizing Wray, hinting that he could fire him over Wray's testimony about antifa and Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections. Not all Republicans are convinced. "[296] By September 2020, at least fifteen people affiliated with the boogaloo movement had been arrested and five deaths had been publicly linked to boogaloo rhetoric. [276] According to an internal FBI situation report on the May 31 protests, individuals from a far-right social media group had "called for far-right provocateurs to attack federal agents, use automatic weapons against protesters. The police chief said that "'anarchists' likely hijacked peaceful protests downtown". Since 2015, such actions have been encouraged against Black Lives Matter protests by "Run Them Over" and "All Lives Splatter" memes online, as well as items posted on Fox News and on social media by police officers. [140][141][142] In a press release the next day, United States Park Police said they had observed protesters throwing bricks and other dangerous projectiles, but journalists present claimed the protests were peaceful before police moved in. Nationwide riots, a virus that has killed more than 100,000 Americans, a President threatening to unleash the military on citizens–how much more can the country bear? [256][257][258][259] According to the Houston Chronicle, at least three alleged looters in Austin, Texas, were affiliated with antifa. Black Lives Matter began as a protest cry and bloomed into a political force: activists won convictions and shaped federal policy, seeding their message across college campuses and popular culture, in legislation and presidential platforms. The department’s office of police conduct review can only make a recommendation to the chief, whose own decisions can be reversed. [162] Many journalists described being intentionally targeted by police even after they identified themselves as press. [180], During a live television broadcast for the Seven Network covering protests near the White House on June 1, Australian journalist Amelia Brace and cameraman Tim Myers were assaulted by a charging United States Park Police line as the area was cleared for Trump to visit St. John's Church. Police have said the vehicle was soon towed and that they are looking into what happened. [169] After the incident the Minnesota State Patrol tweeted that "In the course of clearing the streets and restoring order at Lake Street and Snelling Avenue, four people were arrested by State Patrol troopers, including three members of a CNN crew. "[225][226], The former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, acknowledging that she had no evidence,[227] stated that the violence that was emerging was "right out of the Russian playbook". “For us to get the attention that we need, we’ve gotta set things on fire,” says James Talton, a 32-year-old New York fitness instructor. The station manager issued a statement strongly condemning the incident, saying there was "no justification for police to wantonly open fire. At least one policeman suffered an injury to his head. [132] Arrest warrants were issued for four other officers involved. In 2017, Thao was sued in federal court for excessive use of force over allegations he beat up a suspect during an arrest. Some protesters confronted him and asked him to stop. Riots, Claims of Meddling", "Russia 'concerned' for human rights as it watches U.S. protests, Kremlin says", "Facebook says it found no foreign interference targeting U.S. protests", "Live Updates on George Floyd Protests: Minneapolis to Ban Use of Chokeholds by Police", "El FBI detuvo a un grupo de venezolanos y cubanos que pagaban para causar caos en las protestas en EEUU", "FBI investiga infiltración de la izquierda radical durante protestas en Miami-Dade", "Trump administration offers active-duty military forces and intelligence to help quell Minnesota unrest", "George Floyd death: Pallets of bricks found unattended among protests spark theories of foul play", "Wray claims FBI sees 'anarchists like Antifa' exploiting George Floyd protests", "De Blasio now says some 'anarchist' protesters are local amid continued defense of NYPD", "Mayor, police chief denounce 'anarchists' and 'terrorists' who destroyed city; curfew begins at 9 p.m.", "Seattle Police Guild: Anarchists are stealing the peaceful protesters' message", "Police chief: Out-of-town anarchists stirred up trouble", "Officials blame differing groups of 'outsiders' for violence", "Attorney General Barr blames 'far-left extremist groups' for violent protests", "Anarchists infiltrating George Floyd protests in NYC, officials say", "Trump says George Floyd's killing 'should never have happened,' vows to 'stop mob violence, and we'll stop it cold, "Trump tweets Antifa will be labeled a terrorist organization but experts believe that's unconstitutional", "IN CUSTODY: Man accused of inciting violence at Pittsburgh protests turns himself in", "NYPD'S Terrorism Chief Says Unnamed Groups Planned Protest Violence in Advance", "FBI Director Christopher Wray's Remarks at Press Conference Regarding Civil Unrest in Wake of George Floyd's Death", "Federal Arrests Show No Sign That Antifa Plotted Protests", "FBI director says antifa is an ideology, not an organization", "Trump hits FBI director again over testimony on antifa, Russia", "Trump suggests he'd consider removing FBI director over unfavorable testimony", "Donald Trump hints he could fire FBI director over Antifa disagreement", "The FBI Finds 'No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement' in Sunday's Violence", "No Sign Of Antifa So Far In Justice Department Cases Brought Over Unrest", "As Trump Blames Antifa, Protest Records Show Scant Evidence", "Just 3 arrests so far as Texas officials blame protest violence on Antifa 'terrorists'", "Who caused the violence at protests? [172], Linda Tirado, a freelance photo journalist, was hit in the eye with a rubber bullet or a pellet by the police in Minneapolis, and following surgery was left permanently blind in that eye. On July 28, one of the memorials was defaced by an unidentified person. In June, a 25-year-old man from Rochester, Minnesota was federally charged with arson for the fire at the pawn shop. I had just interviewed a man with my phone at 3rd and Pine and a police officer aimed and shot me in the throat, I saw the bullet bounce onto the street @LAist @kpcc OK, that's one way to stop me, for a whilepic.twitter.com/9C2u5KmscG", "Police targeted journalists covering the George Floyd protests", "George Floyd protests: BBC cameraman attacked by police at demonstration outside White House", "George Floyd protests: Police charge at BBC cameraman near White House", "Donald Trump's press secretary says police who attacked Australian journalists 'had right to defend themselves, "Australian Journalists Covering DC Protests Were Assaulted by Cops on Live Morning Television", "Australia Asks for Investigation After Police Attack 2 Journalists in U.S.", "Australia opens investigation into U.S. police violence against journalists covering protests in DC", "Quoting a meme, Scott Morrison says US violence will not bring about change", "District attorney to investigate alleged assault of WSJ reporter by NYPD officers during protests", "CNN Headquarters in Atlanta Vandalized During Protests Over Police Killings", "CNN Center in Atlanta damaged during protests", "Fox News reporter attacked, chased from demonstration", "Federal Protective Service officer killed, another injured in Oakland shooting amid George Floyd protests", "Authorities charge alleged Santa Cruz deputy killer with assassinating federal cop in Oakland, link attacks to Boogaloo movement", "Philadelphia Police Officer Run Over By Group Of Looters 'In Excruciating Pain,' But Stable, Fiancee Says", "Officer Suffers Broken Arm After Being Run Over While Trying To Stop Looters In Old City, Philadelphia Police Say", "Philadelphia officer run over while trying to stop looting", "Driver of ATV that crashed in Atlanta motorcycle officer identified, charged", "Driver Anthony Knapp Identified, Accused Of Plowing Car Into 3 Denver Police Officers", "Second suspect named in Oakland cop killing linked to far-right 'Boogaloo' movement", "Law enforcement continues to investigate encounter between motorist, protesters on I-244", "Family talks about long road ahead for Tulsa man paralyzed following Sunday protest on IDL", "Two shot, two officers injured as violence escalates near Bailey Avenue police station", "Buffalo woman facing felony charges after driving through police line, injuring officers", "Bullet penetrates Missouri trooper's face shield during riots in St. Louis, 'narrowly' avoids serious injury", "Arrest report released for man accused of shooting officer during Las Vegas protest", "Man deliberately shot Las Vegas officer, authorities say", "NYPD officer struck by vehicle in the Bronx in apparent hit-and-run, video shows", "NYPD officer in serious but stable condition after apparent Walton Avenue hit-and-run", "NYPD Sergeant, Officer Struck By Hit-And-Run Drivers In Separate Incidents", "Former council candidate charged in protest shooting", "Trump threatens to send officers to more US cities", "The Oregon governor wants federal officers out of Portland. “Because it seems like nobody’s paying attention.”. [282] White nationalist Facebook groups reportedly began urging members to "get their loot on. "[229], Nathaniel Gleicher, head of security policy at Facebook, stated that they found no evidence of foreign interference on their site, even though its security teams were actively searching for signs of it. July 4, 2020. [77] Forbes was transported to Kern Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition for three days before dying. "[115], Several African American politicians, including State Senator Zellnor Myrie, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce were reportedly pepper sprayed by police. [206], In Buffalo, New York, a car rammed a police line near where protesters had gathered on June 1.