Trump’s response to unrest fuels more protests, condemnation from Republican allies [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• US President Donald Trump drew further criticism over his handling of the growing civil unrest in the country, following his questionable PR stunt walking to a historic church near the White House and staging a photo opportunity.
• Prior to this, police officers cleared the area of peaceful protesters by using chemical smoke canisters and flashbangs.
• Protesters and a handful Republican allies expressed disapproval over his move to crack down on demonstrators, who, at times, are met with excessive use of force by authorities.

The incident Monday night — where US Park Police, the Secret Service, the National Guard, and other federal law enforcement authorities fired smoke canisters and flashbang explosives to drive away a large group of peaceful protestors outside the White House — did nothing but to intensify the ire of demonstrators as well as a handful of Republican lawmakers.

The forceful dispersion came minutes before Trump walked across the street that had been cleared and staged a photo session outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was vandalized and fire-damaged following Sunday night’s protests.

Curfew orders were largely ignored by demonstrators.  While peaceful protests have at times turned violent with riots and looting, large crowds of protesters remained undeterred by the government’s show of force. Instead of instilling fear among them, it further ignited their resolve to rally against police brutality.

“It ignited a fire in us,” Alondra Pacheco, 20, said. The violent clearing process, which included the use of tear gas, just so the president could walk across the street was believed to be unjust.

Acting Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan denied that tear gas was used to clear the crowd, and said officers used smoke canisters and pepper balls only after protesters tried grabbing their weapons and threw projectiles at them. However, video showed no evidence — some protesters only started throwing projectiles after officers threw flash bang grenades at them.

US Attorney General William Barr said in a statement earlier in the day, “There will be even greater law enforcement resources and support in the region tonight. The most basic function of government is to provide security for people to live their lives and exercise their rights, and we will meet that responsibility here in the nation’s capital.”

A handful of Republican lawmakers also expressed dismay over Trump’s protest response, with some directly condemning the president, while others carefully suggesting a divergent perspective.

Source: AOL.com