Beyza Binnur Dönmez
31 August 2020•Update: 31 August 2020
ANKARA
US President Donald Trump has criticized Democratic nominee Joe Biden for not controlling the "Anarchists, Thugs & Agitators in ANTIFA," underlining the necessity of National Guard in protests-rocked states and cities that are mostly under the rule of Democrats.
"When is Slow Joe Biden going to criticize the Anarchists, Thugs & Agitators in ANTIFA?" Trump tweeted late Sunday. "When is he going to suggest bringing up the National Guard in BADLY RUN & Crime Infested Democrat Cities & States? Remember, he can’t lose the Crazy Bernie Super Liberal vote!"
Antifa, short for "antifascist," is a far-left anti-fascist political activist movement that became popular in the US following the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017.
It is composed of groups, networks and individuals who believe in aggressive opposition to extreme right-wing movements.
Trump's remarks were referring to the ongoing protests against racism and police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon.
On Saturday, a man was shot dead in Portland where a pro-Trump rally clashed with anti-racism protests. Police have yet to share any information about the victim as the investigation continues.
Kenosha became the latest flashpoint of the US' continued struggle with racial injustice and police shootings of unarmed Black men after Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in an incident last week.
The protests in Portland has been raging ever since the May 25 killing of Black citizen George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody.
Although the White House announced Saturday Trump will visit Kenosha on Tuesday to "meet with law enforcement and survey damage from recent riots," the city's mayor urged the president on Sunday to reconsider his visit.
"Realistically, from our perspective, our preference would have been for him not to be coming at this point in time," John Antaramian told National Public Radio. "All presidents are always welcome and campaign issues are always going on. But it would have been, I think, better had he waited to have for another time to come."
