Human rights organizations condemn Trump’s tweets encouraging violence against protestors of Minneapolis

Signatories to this press release strongly condemn statements of the American government released on social media accounts of Donald Trump, which bears direct incitement to the governor of Minnesota to deal violently with protests raised recently on the background of killing George Floyed, an American citizen from African origin, by police forces, specifically in the city of Minneapolis, which constitutes an extrajudicial crime in a series of the renewed racial crime perpetrated by white Americans. Such crimes represent a threat to humanity and an explicit violation of all international conventions that condemn racism in its all forms.

On May 29, 2020, Donald Trump tweeted saying, “I can’t stay my arms folded watching what is going on in Minneapolis, where there is a complete absence of control. Either the very weak left radical mayor, Jacob Fry, do his job and bring the city under control, or I’ll send the National Guard and do the job “correctly”.

Trump added another tweet in which he described protesters as “bandits”. In addition, he stated that he spoke with the state governor Tim Falls and told him that “the army supports him to the end “, and concluded that “when looting begins, shooting begins”.

Minneapolis had witnessed widespread protests in the wake of killing George Floyed at the hands of security forces, after publishing a video clip showing the violent treatment by police officers against George Floyed to join a long series of extrajudicial crimes against African-Americans citizens by police officers and normal citizens “.

American human rights organizations warn the American government from the spread of racial crimes based on color, religion, or ethnicity. Several cases of verbal harassment and assault were reported against Arab and Muslims with complete ignorance from American government and absence of accountability which lead to unprecedented repetition to such crimes.

Accordingly, the signatory are calling on the US government to quickly open extensive investigations in order to reach solutions to reduce cases of racial persecution based on color, religion or race.

It also demands the full protection of protestors from any violence that may occur in light of the recent statements of the US President that would give the green light to security forces to use violence and firearms against protestors. They call also on the United Nations and Human Rights Commission to start in reviewing history of racial crimes in America, especially the recent dangerous statements by Donald Trump bear a lot of incitement and threats which are like a fuel for fanatic groups existing in America abundantly and make these statements a starting point for other racial crimes against Arab and Muslim communities, as well as African-American citizens and all religious and ethnic minorities.

Signatories

1. Al-Haq Center for Democracy and Human Rights
2. National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms
3. Regional Observatory for Human Rights
4. Arab Assembly for Civil Society Organizations
5. Watch Parliament Campaign
6. Volunteers Network for Development and Human Rights
7. Sewan for Training and Empowerment “Jordan”