U.S. defence secretary opposes using military to resolve protests

SANAA, June 4 (YPA) – Defence Secretary Mark Esper declared on Wednesday he opposes using military troops in dealing with the wave of protests that pervade the United States after the killing of an African-American citizen, George Floyd.
Esper said, in a press conference that that he does not support the application of the Insurrection Act that was adopted in 1807 and allows the US president to deploy military forces inside the country to quell riots and unrest, considering that engaging the army is a last option.

Esber, however, indicated that it was very difficult to keep the military forces out of politics as the presidential elections approached.

Commenting on the protests in front of the White House on the evening of June 1, the US Secretary of Defense denied that National Guard operatives used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators in LaFoyette Square.

American cities, including Washington, DC, are witnessing massive protests against the security and racist violence, fueled by Floyd’s murder as a result of a harsh arrest by police in Minneapolis on May 25.

The authorities of 29 US states have included about 20,000 members of the National Guard, but the president, Donald Trump, has threatened to use “unlimited military force” to deal with the unrest if the local rulers fail to carry out this mission.