Trump threatens the use of Insurrection Act. “We will react to the riots with the same or greater force”

If the protests similar to Los Angeles are repeated in the rest of the country, we will react with an equal or greater force – warned US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. He stated that the riots are the work of “paid rebels”, while Minister Kristi Noem accused the president of Mexico of incitement to protests.

Trump commented on protests that have been ongoing for four days against the deportation of immigrants in Los Angeles during a meeting devoted to preparations for forest fires. Although on Monday he claimed that thanks to sending troops to the metropolis the situation was under control, on Tuesday he assessed that the last night was “terrible”. At the same time, he described the images of participants of the riots seen on television to split curbs to be able to throw their pieces into the police.

“We stopped the disaster – and it looks like a planned disaster (…). They had weapons, they had tools. They had everything they needed. They threw frozen water in bottlesin glass bottles, in officers and soldiers. It is – you can't use the word uprising – but you can also use the word that they are very dangerous people, “Trump continued. He added that the demonstrators” met with great strength and gave up “.

“And there may be a bit of them tonight, they may be a bit there, but it seems that there are fewer and fewer of them, because they go there and meet with great strength,” he said.

Trump said that he would use the Insurrection Act – allowing the army to be used to actively suppress the riots – if he decides that there is actually an armed uprising in the country. At the same time he claimed that “paid rebels” are involved in protests.

On Monday, the federal authorities sent about 700 marine infantry soldiers to Los Angeles (Marines) and put them in a state of readiness another 2,000. soldiers of the California National Guard. Their official role is to protect agents of the ICE immigration service and federal buildings, not pacification of start -ups. California authorities lodged a complaint against this decision to the court, while Gavin Governor accused Trump of using the army for political games, as well as not to disrupt the appropriate conditions for him, as a result of which soldiers must sleep on the floor of federal buildings. According to the Pentagon, the cost of sending the National Guard is $ 134 million.

On Tuesday, the president also issued a warning to the rest of the country that federal forces would react similarly to Los Angeles.

“If we did not attack it very much, we would have (riots) throughout the country. But I can inform the rest of the country that if they do it, they will meet with equal or greater strength than here” – he announced.

He also warned those who “hate the country”, and plan a protest during the military parade planned for Saturday in Washington. He also announced that he would not give up further mass detention of illegal immigrants and raids on workplaces such as those that provoked violent protests in Los Angeles.

So far, protests against collapse of immigrants have also been held in other American cities, including in San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Atlanta.

The head of the Ministry of National Security (DHS) Kristi NEEM, appearing next to Trump, condemned the statement of the President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum about protests. Although Sheinbaum condemned the use of violence “in all forms”, she also made the USA with a “firm” appeal that “all immigration procedures would be carried out with respect for the proper trial, as part of respect for human dignity and the rule of law.”

Oskar Górzyński

OSK/ MMS/