Some left-wing activists and journalists on Twitter celebrated outbreaks of violence in Minnesota Thursday night, as rioters set ablaze the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct.
Police officers were forced to abandon the precinct Thursday evening as rioters closed in. Prominent left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore called the rioters “good citizens,” and said that police headquarters “must be demolished” in response to the killing of George Floyd. (RELATED: New Video Shows Moments Leading Up To George Floyd Being Pinned On The Ground)
“Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color,” Moore tweeted.
Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out & safe. All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
Left-wing journalist and “The Intercept” founder Glenn Greenwald called the violence “way overdue.”
The Minneapolis debate reminds me of Israel/Palestine discourse. No matter how much repression & brutality Palestinians suffer, nothing they do is legitimate except impotent words: no boycotts, no return violence: all “terrorism.”
The MN violence is, if anything, way overdue.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 28, 2020
The Minnesota chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America tweeted that they were “so proud” of the rioters.
So proud of all the Minnesotans fighting back against the police tonight. Minneapolis St. Paul claiming our cities from the oppressors who would rather watch the city burn than see George Floyd’s murderers brought to justice
— Twin Cities DSA ???? (@TwinCitiesDSA) May 29, 2020
Amanda Mull, a staff writer for The Atlantic, defended the rioters by claiming that they didn’t choose to participate in violence.
Riots are, at their core, a choice made by those in power, not people who participate in them. If you build a society that exhausts and abuses people and privilege capital over human life, I’m not sure which other imaginary “civil” options you expect people to exercise
— Amanda Mull (@amandamull) May 29, 2020
MSNBC commentator Zerlina Maxwell demanded that the press stop referring to the outbreaks of violence as a “riot.” (RELATED: NBC Bans Reporters From Using The Word ‘Riot’ In Coverage Of Minnesota Riots)
Please stop calling this a riot. There are other words to describe this. Use them.
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) May 29, 2020
Democratic Maine Senate candidate Bre Kidman, a defense attorney, referred to the riots as a “rebellion,” and offered advice to the rioters on how they could avoid facial recognition.
It’s not a riot; it’s a rebellion.
This isn’t legal advice—just some practical tips reposted from a friend in the know. I’ll add: for maximum avoidance of facial recognition, make sure you have a mask and also make sure to cover your ears.
Stay safe, #MPLS. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ih4PLK9Hwf
— bre????️????kidman????????for????Maine????(D) (@BeeKay4ME) May 29, 2020
Floyd’s death drew widespread condemnation after video surfaced of police officers pinning Floyd to the ground, with one officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck. All the police officers involved have been fired, and President Donald Trump has ordered the Justice Department and the FBI to conduct an “expedited” investigation into Floyd’s death.