{"id":10009,"date":"2020-06-01T23:53:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T06:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2020-06-02T20:05:16","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T03:05:16","slug":"post1-102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=10009","title":{"rendered":"“Donald Trump threatens to deploy army as teargas fired so he can pose at church”. The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Smith in Washington, 2 June 2020<\/p>\n

Authorities suddenly target demonstrators outside White House, clearing way for a presidential photo opportunity<\/em><\/p>\n

Donald Trump<\/a> has threatened to deploy the US military to quell civil unrest \u2013 even as teargas was fired against nearby peaceful protesters to grant him a photo opportunity.<\/p>\n

In a highly choreographed move, the president gave brief remarks in the White House Rose Garden on Monday while, a short distance away, military police and law enforcement suddenly used teargas, rubber bullets and flash-bangs to chase away demonstrators protesting against the death of George Floyd<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TV footage showed people running, falling and scrambling for safety as officers removed them by force. One woman was carried away by fellow protesters because she was injured and unable to walk. Military vehicles rolled out on Pennsylvania Avenue.<\/p>\n

The unprovoked action cleared the way for Trump to cross the street and visit St John\u2019s church, which since 1816 has been the \u201cChurch of the Presidents\u201d, and where a fire burned in the basement amid unrest on Sunday night. He held aloft a Bible and posed for cameras, and was then joined by the attorney general, William Barr, and other officials, including the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany.<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. John\u2019s Church across from the White House after the area was cleared of protesters on Monday. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDonald Trump just tear-gassed peaceful protesters for a photo op,\u201d tweeted Kamala Harris, Democratic senator for California.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s short speech in golden evening light was intended to cast him as a military strongman determined to bring a restive nation to heel as it suffered spasms of unrest after the killing of Floyd, an African American man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am your president of law and order,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI am mobilising all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans, including your second amendment rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

He vowed to crack down on \u201cprofessional anarchists, looters, criminals, antifa and others\u201d whose actions had \u201cgripped\u201d America.<\/p>\n

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