George Floyd protests: Trump claims Minneapolis was 'under siege' as officials implore president to remove military presence
Latest updates as demonstrations continued in wake of police killing
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Donald Trump has claimed the city of Minneapolis was “under siege” before the US National Guard was called in during a press conference on Friday in which he implored other cities facing major protests to call the federal government for assistance.
“They were ripping that place apart,” the president said about the city in which George Floyd was killed at the hands of a white police officer named Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with second-degree murder. “It was under siege like nobody’s ever seen.”
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser meanwhile called on Mr Trump to remove “all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence” from the city as protests have continued for ten days.
In lengthy White House remarks amid sweeping social unrest, a rising virus death toll and Depression-level unemployment, the Republican president suggested that even Floyd would be pleased with the latest economic news.
"Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that's happening for our country," Mr Trump said. "This is a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody."
Police clash with people protesting over racism and police brutality
Show all 30Putting words in the dead man's mouth drew quick criticism, including from likely presidential foe Joe Biden, who said it was "despicable."
A few blocks away, city workers painted a huge "Black Lives Matter" sign on 16th Street leading to the White House.
On the economy, Mr Trump said an economic rebound was the answer to racial inequality, calling it "the greatest thing that can happen for race relations."
Mr Trump was quick to seize the positive jobs report at a time when his political standing is at one of the weakest points of his presidency less than five months before the general election. Just two in 10 voters believe the country is headed in the right direction, a Monmouth University poll found earlier in the week.
Few things matter more to Mr Trump's political future than the state of the US economy, which was all but shut down by state governments this spring to prevent greater spread of the deadly coronavirus. Defying health experts, the president has aggressively encouraged states to re-open and has assailed state leaders by name who resist.
At the same time, he's taken an uneven approach to explosive racial tensions in the wake of Floyd's death. As he has in recent days, Mr Trump on Friday offered a sympathetic message to Floyd in one breath and lashed out at protests in his name the next.
Local governments "have to dominate the streets," Mr Trump said. "You can't let what's happening happen."
The president spoke in the Rose Garden after the Labor Department said that US employers added 2.5 million workers to their payrolls last month. Economists had been expecting them instead to slash 8 million jobs in continuing fallout from the pandemic.
The jobless rate, at 13.3 percent, is still on par with what the nation witnessed during the Great Depression. And for the second straight month, the Labor Department acknowledged making errors in counting the unemployed during the virus outbreak, saying the real figure is worse than the numbers indicate.
Still, after weeks of dire predictions by economists that unemployment in May could hit 20 percent or more, the news was seen as evidence that the collapse may have bottomed out in April.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Check out The Independent's live coverage below:
Paris bans protest outside US embassy
French police have banned a demonstration planned to take place in front of the US Embassy in Paris on Saturday after disorder earlier this week.
The Paris police department said it had decided to ban the demonstrations because of the risks of social disorder and health dangers from large gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trouble had broken out at another anti-police demonstration in the French capital on Wednesday, when thousands turned up despite a police ban on the event in memory of Adama Traore - a 24-year old black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation which some have likened to George Floyd's death.
Trump builds a wall
Donald Trump moved overnight to place more fencing barricades on the White House perimeter amid nationwide protests and racial tensions.
New black metal walls were secured along the west and south perimeters on Thursday, providing president Trump with an extensive security zone around the White House.
The decision to close more avenues and parks around the complex comes despite demonstrations against institutionalised racism having been peaceful since Monday.
More below:
UK embassy has raised issue of protests with Trump administration - Johnson spokesman
A spokesman for Boris Johnson has said the UK embassy in Washington has raised the issue of protests with the Trump administration.
He said they had also discussed the treatment of British journalists in the country at the hands of police.
The conversation carries on from the lead of other nations like Australia, which has opened an investigation into the treatment of its journalists on american soil after officers in riot gear struck an Australian 7NEWS journalist and cameraman while they were live on air.
Heavily secured White House at odds with its long history as ‘the people’s house’
In the 72 hours since Monday’s melee at Lafayette Square, the White House has been transformed into a veritable fortress – the physical manifestation of Donald Trump’s vision of law-and-order “domination” over the millions of Americans who have taken to the streets to protest racial injustice.
Deborah Berke, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, said the White House barricaded as if it were a military base, with multiple layers of black fencing surrounding the limestone Georgian structure, conveys the opposite message and represents a physical violation of democracy.
“I think the need to fortify your house – and it’s not his house; it’s our house – shows weakness,” she said. “The president of the United States should not feel threatened by his or her own citizens.”
Here are Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey with more:
UK raises concerns over police treatment of British journalists with Trump administration
The UK embassy in Washington has raised concerns with the US administration over British journalists who were subject to police action while covering protests over the death of George Floyd, Downing Street has said.
The move comes amid growing anger over the handling of media covering protest marches, with high-profile footage showing officers blocking camera and even arresting one US correspondent during a live on-air report.
More below:
London protests continue in Trafalgar Square
Protests have continued in London with a socially distanced demonstration in Trafalgar Square.
Mexicans protest against police brutality after man ‘arrested for not wearing face mask’ dies in custody
Protests against police brutality have erupted in Mexico's second-largest city, Guadalajara, following the death in custody of a man reportedly arrested for not wearing a face mask.
Police cars were set on fire and buildings including the government palace vandalised during capital of the state of Jalisco. Police responded with force, beating demonstrators with batons and firing tear gas
The demonstrations began after footage circulated on social media showing a young man, identified as Giovanni Lopez, being detained by police on 4 May. Bystanders can be heard saying the police were arresting him for not using a face mask, reports Rory Sullivan:
ICYMI: Officials to defund LAPD by $150m, reinvesting those funds into minority communities
Los Angeles officials have proposed sweeping cuts to the city’s annual budget and police department while calling for that money to be invested in marginalized communities after nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a press conference on Wednesday night the city would “identify $250 million in cuts so we can invest in jobs, in health, in education and in healing” following demands from the Black Lives Matter movement and other activist groups to divest funding from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Those groups called for the city to implement a “People’s Budget” that would fund housing and environmental projects, as well as promote opportunities for people of colour, Los Angeles Magazine reported.
In announcing the budgetary cuts, the mayor added: “It is time to move our rhetoric towards action to end racism in our city.”
Washington DC calls on Trump to 'withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement' from the city
Trump holds press conference amid protests
The president is speaking at the White House about the new jobs report and ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd.
“They were ripping that place apart,” the president says of protestors in Minneapolis. “It was under siege like nobody’s ever seen.”
“We want to get all of this finished,” he added.
More to come...
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