A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement: „Secret Service personnel are currently assisting other law enforcement agencies during a demonstration in Lafayette Park. In the interest of public safety we encourage all to remain peaceful.“
The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment Friday evening.
Reporters had gathered at the White House on Friday afternoon for a briefing by President Donald Trump announcing the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization. The president declined to address the upheaval in Minnesota and did not take questions.
Trump later remarked on the unrest during a White House event, saying that it was important to “protect the rights for peaceful protesters.”
“We can’t allow a situation like what happened in Minneapolis to descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos,” he said. “I understand the hurt. I understand the pain. People have really been through a lot.”
“The family of George is entitled to justice, and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety,” Trump added.
Hundreds of protesters set out from U St. toward downtown Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon. Videos and news reports showed protesters chanting their outrage at the death of George Floyd, who was killed after a Minneapolis police officer pinned Floyd’s neck with his knee. Protesters had reached Lafayette Park, which is to the north of the White House grounds, by Friday evening.
Protesters and Secret Service agents scuffled outside the White House fence. Video circulating on social media and photos on wire services showed a protester being detained by Secret Service agents. Protesters eventually moved from the White House toward the Capitol.
By around 11:30 p.m., a group of protesters had returned to the White House and pushed back against barricades set up by police and Secret Service agents. Protesters were barred from approaching the White House at Lafayette Park. The two sides stood in a largely calm — though tense — stand off, in contrast to the violent altercations with police that have occurred in other cities.
Washington’s protest is among several that have erupted across the country, from Dallas to New York, even as some cities remain locked down amid the coronavirus pandemic. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the partial lifting of lockdown measures Wednesday, though gatherings of more than 10 remain prohibited.
Protests in Minneapolis have gone on for four days, leading to a curfew being imposed. Demonstrators set fire to the 3rd Precinct Minneapolis police station, and the state’s National Guard was deployed to the city. Hundreds of protesters defied the curfew and continued marching in Minneapolis on Friday night.
Trump tweeted his disdain for the Minneapolis protesters early Friday, referring to them as „THUGS“ and threatening to unleash gunfire on them. Twitter flagged his remarks as „glorifying violence“ — one of the first warning labels the social media giant has issued to the president’s often incendiary tweets. Facebook has said the post had not breached its guidelines.
Anita Kumar and Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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