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US protests live updates: Protesters defy curfew in Washington D.C.

Darkness has fallen in Washington DC but Donald Trump is launching a furious attack on those who criticised his handling of America's uprising.

Sam Clench and Victoria Craw
less than 2 min read
June 2, 2020 - 8:36PM
US protests: Journalists are being attacked by police while doing their jobs

Darkness has fallen in America's capital, Washington D.C., and Donald Trump is launching into those who refuse to obey the city's strict curfew.

On Twitter, Trump wrote: "So pathetic to watch the Fake News Lamestream Media playing down the gravity and depravity of the Radical Left, looters and thugs, ripping up our Liberal Democrat run (only) cities. It is almost like they are all working together?"

Many of the demonstrators around DC came prepared with masks and goggles, in case the police decided to repeat their heavy-handed tactics from yesterday. But so far, the authorities have been restrained.

Across town, military police have lined the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, staring down eerily at another group of protesters below.

Reporters on the ground say the protests in Washington were even larger today than they were earlier in the week, a sign that demonstrators have been spurred on - not deterred - by yesterday's drama.

This is how today's events unfolded.

Updates

'Pathetic': Trump attacks media, left, 'thugs'

Donald Trump has taken a broad swipe at those who are questioning his authority, attacking the mainstream media, the "radical left", looters and thugs.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of US cities for an eighth consecutive night over the death of a black man in police custody, as curfews failed to hold back people expressing anger and grief.

Large marches and rallies took place in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle, invoking the name of George Floyd, and other police victims.

On Monday night, five police officers were hit by gunfire in two cities.

Trump has been widely condemned for clearing protesters with force from outside the White House for a photo opportunity at a nearby church.

Peaceful stand-off in LA

It's getting late in Washington – 11:33pm – so things are dying down. But across the country in Los Angeles, the night is still relatively young.

It's 8:30pm there, a couple of hours after the city's 6pm curfew, and a group of protesters is in a stand-off of sorts with police. Well, more of a sit-off.

It's a peaceful one at this point. The group is sitting on a road outside the mayor's house with their hands in the air, waving peace signs at the cops.

One of the protesters pictured here is wearing a shirt that says "don't shoot" – a reference to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014.

Investigation into helicopters' actions

The National Guard says it is investigating the actions of its helicopters during last night's protests in Washington.

Flying low, the helicopters passed over the crowds and hovered over them. Today a Pentagon spokesman told CNN they had been providing "observation of DC National Guard positions as they conducted civil unrest operations".

Trump says 'people liked' his walk

Donald Trump is still on Twitter, doing his nightly tweeting. He says "people liked" his walk from the White House to St John's church yesterday, which happened after police forcibly removed protesters from the area.

You will recall that Mr Trump reached the church, posed for photos in front of it while holding a Bible, and then returned to the White House without doing anything else.

Note the three Senators mentioned in the President's tweet. They are among the few Republicans who have criticised him over the photo op.

"To me at a time like this, the President ought to be trying to calm the nation, pledge to right historical wrongs and be a steady influence. I don't think he was that last night," Susan Collins said today.

"It was painful to watch peaceful protesters be subjected to tear gas in order for the President to go across the street to a church I believe he's attended only once.

"I thought the President came across as unsympathetic and insensitive to the rights of people to peacefully protest."

James Lankford, asked whether he was comfortable with the treatment of the protesters, replied "of course not" and said the photo op had "distracted" from the "really good speech" Mr Trump had given minutes earlier.

And Ben Sasse issued a statement saying he was "against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop".

The article Mr Trump asked his fellow Republicans to read accuses the media of misreporting yesterday's incident. It focuses particularly on the accusation that police used tear gas against protesters.

Police have since said they actually used smoke and pepper balls.

No evidence Antifa is involved

A new story from The Nation has revealed the FBI has no intelligence indicating the left-wing group Antifa was involved in the violence over the weekend.

Donald Trump has his Attorney-General William Barr have both linked Antifa to violence that occurred during protests on Sunday. You will recall that Mr Trump announced he would be designated Antifa a "terrorist organisation".

"In recent days our nation has been gripped professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa and others," he said during his speech at the White House yesterday.

"I want the organisers of this terror to be on notice that you will face severe criminal penalties and lengthy sentences in jail. This includes Antifa and others who are leading instigators of this violence."

"The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly," Mr Barr said, backing him up.

However, The Nation has got its hands on an internal FBI situation report, which says that "based on CHS (confidential human source) canvassing, open source/social media partner engagement, and liaison, FBI WFO has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence" in the violence.

It seems Mr Trump's eagerness to link Antifa to the riots is not backed up by evidence.

Extraordinary scenes in US capital

Darkness has now fallen in America's capital city. It has been almost three hours since Washington D.C.'s curfew, and a massive group of protesters is still chanting outside the White House.

It's quite the extraordinary scene, although I still think the more striking image came from the Lincoln Memorial across town a little earlier in the evening, with military police lining the famous steps.

Protesters in the shadow of the White House as darkness falls. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

Police on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Picture: Getty Images

'Despicable looters' kill retired cop

President Trump has just highlighted the "vicious" murder of a retired African American police captain, 77-year-old David Dorn, at the hands of "despicable looters".

Mr Dorn was found dead on a footpath in front of a pawn shop in St Louis, Missouri last night. The shooting had aired on Facebook Live before being taken down.

It was a particularly grim evening in St Louis. Four police officers were shot, and others were hit by rocks and fireworks. Dozens of businesses were vandalised.

Trump fuming about convention

Donald Trump is still tweeting. His latest target is the Democratic Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper.

Mr Cooper has refused to guarantee that the Republican National Convention – a big election event, where Mr Trump will be formally renominated for the presidency – will be able to go ahead as planned in the state's capital city, Charlotte.

The problem is the coronavirus, and the social distancing rules that come with it. The convention is meant to happen in August, bringing together thousands of Republicans from across the country.

Like so many of the protests happening at the moment, it is a potential "super spreader" event.

"We still want a safe RNC convention in Charlotte that follows the health guidelines," Mr Cooper wrote in a recent letter to the Republican Party.

"The people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity. We are happy to continue talking with you about what a scaled-down convention will look like, and we still await your proposed plan for that."

He said it was "very unlikely" the pandemic will have abated enough for the convention to go ahead as normal.

Mr Trump does not appreciate Mr Cooper's caution. It seems he is looking for a new host.

"Because of (Mr Cooper), we are now forced to seek another state to host the 2020 Republican National Convention," he just tweeted.

Curfews in place across the US

Dipping out of America's capital for a moment, similar scenes are playing out across much of the country.

In Atlanta, for instance, the 9pm curfew imposed by authorities passed a short time ago, and police officers are in formation near a relatively small crowd of protesters. They have gas masks, and have told the demonstrators to go home.

The city has seen widespread unrest and violence and is entering its fourth consecutive night of curfews.

A recent incident has seen six police officers charged, after a viral video showed an African-American couple getting tased in their car.
The officers have been accused of aggravated assault, illegally pointing a taser, and criminal damage to property.
They were shown tasing the couple before pulling them from the vehicle.

Tensions rising in DC

Tensions are starting to rise in Washington, and there is dissent in the ranks of the protesters.

According to Washington Post reporter Marissa Lang, about a third of the group hanging around outside the White House has now left, heading in the direction of the Capitol Building a short distance away, which houses Congress.

The fear among some protesters is that splitting their numbers will make it easier for police to swoop in and start arresting people.

Lang's colleague Rebecca Tan is with the breakaway group, and filmed this relatively mild confrontation between protesters and a couple of police officers on bikes. It's mainly demonstrators shouting at the cops – still no real sign of the authorities intervening.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/us-protests-live-updates/live-coverage/0883f47dd619dd5a94f6fc904d850443