04 June 2020

Violent protests in US ‘driven by opportunists'

According to a Reuters report published on 3 June, an internal intelligence assessment produced by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and seen by the news agency stated that violence during protests across the US against the death of a black man at the hands of police in Minneapolis on 25 May had mostly been “driven by opportunists”.

United States Park Police push back protesters near the White House in Washington, DC, on 1 June 2020. External influences on the protests appeared to be opportunistic rather than centrally directed, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

Although the report stated that there had been some evidence of ‘Antifa’ involvement, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr had blamed the violence on Antifa and “far-left extremist groups”. Unnamed Department of Justice officials cited in the Reuters report stated that they had seen little evidence to support the claim.

Local law enforcement agencies were also cited by Reuters as saying that there was strong evidence that protesters were highly organised. The report quoted the head of the New York City Police Department’s intelligence unit as saying, “We’re seeing a lot of outside independent agitators connected with anarchist groups.”

Although there is evidence of external involvement, it is likely that this comes from small groups of experienced protesters. Given that the Antifa and anarchist movements are not centralised organisations, it is unlikely that such “agitators” are being centrally directed.

Far-right extremists have also attempted to influence the protests, both online and on the ground. Federal prosecutors in Las Vegas charged three alleged far-right extremists on 3 June with terrorism offences for allegedly conspiring to cause violence at a protest in Las Vegas.

According to a Reuters report published on 3 June, an internal intelligence assessment produced by t...

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