George Floyd protests: Donald Trump warns 'when looting starts, shooting starts' as National Guard called in to patrol riot-torn streets of Minneapolis

Ellena Cruse29 May 2020

Donald Trump today threatened that looters would be shot after a third night of protests over George Floyd 's death descended into chaos.

The US President warned "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" as he said the National Guard would be ordered to "get the job done right" if Minneapolis was not "brought under control".

He also described the protesters as "thugs", claiming the situation was "dishonouring the memory" of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died in police custody after being restrained by officers.

Mr Trump said he had spoken to Minnesota governor Tim Waltz and told him “the military is with him all the way”, but added: "Any difficulty and we will assume control."

Mr Walz earlier on Thursday requested the National Guard on behalf of the Minneapolis mayor, but it was not immediately clear when and where the reserve force was being deployed and troops were not seen at protests in the city or nearby St Paul.

George Floyd Protests - In pictures

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Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: "I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right."

He then added: "These THUGS are dishonouring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.

"Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

A man runs past a burning building
REUTERS

The demonstrations were sparked after Mr Floyd's final moments were caught on camera. In the footage, a white police officer is seen pinning him to the ground by his neck, despite him pleading that he couldn't breathe.

In the subsequent days, thousands of people took to the streets to protest how the police handled the incident

But the peaceful demonstrations descended into chaos for the third night in a row, after fires and looting broke out.

A protestor holds up a sign
Getty Images

In contrast with Wednesday night - when rock-throwing protestors clashed repeatedly with police in riot gear - officers kept a low profile around the epicentre of the unrest, outside the city’s Third Precinct police station.

Protesters outside the building were briefly deterred by tear gas and rubber bullets, which police fired at them from the roof, but later returned and attacked the building head on, setting fire to the structure as police seemed to withdraw. Protesters were later seen on the roof.

A person holding an American flag runs past a burning shop
AP

A car and at least two other buildings in the vicinity were also set alight. Looters also returned for a second night to a nearby Target discount store - left boarded up and empty from the previous night - to make off with whatever remained inside.

Fire officials said 16 buildings were torched on Wednesday night.

There was no immediate sign of National Guard troops at the police station or at a peaceful daytime rally and march around the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.

Four city police officers involved in the incident, including the one shown pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck as he lay on the ground, moaning, “please, I can’t breathe,” were fired from their jobs the next day.

A man fell in the street after police fired tear gas
AP

The Floyd case was reminiscent of the 2014 killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man in New York City who died after being put in a banned police chokehold as he, too, was heard to mutter, “I can’t breathe.”

Garner’s dying words became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement that formed amid a wave of killings of African-Americans by police.

Protesters gather in front of the burning Minneapolis Police Department building
AP

Throughout the day, protesters pressed their demands that the four policemen be arrested and prosecuted.

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