George Floyd protests: Fury as alarming Anonymous leak shares info on large deployments of law enforcement personnel
Reports emerged last week about a leaked Trump administration document that contained details about the federal law enforcement and military personnel sent to patrol and square off against protestors in Washington, D.C., including a 1,300-strong force currently deployed to the south side of the White House. The United States has seen more than two weeks of protests after a 46-year-old African-American, George Floyd died at the hands of former Minneapolis police officers, when Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite pleas from Floyd that he could not breathe. Protests have since spread to all 50 states and internationally as demonstrators fight against police brutality against black people.
Thousands of federal law enforcement and military personnel have since been called to Washington in response to the growing demonstrations in the capital city. A leaked internal Depart of Homeland Security, dated June 4, obtained by Yahoo News, showed that the task force operation includes the US Secret Service, the National Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and US Park Police. Many lawmakers and protesters have expressed concern about the growing military and law enforcement pressure in Washington, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying in a letter to President Donald Trump, "We are concerned about the increased militarization and lack of clarity that may increase chaos. I am writing to request a full list of the agencies involved and clarifications of the roles and responsibilities of the troops and federal law enforcement resources operating in the city."
The document also provides some details about personnel from other agencies and departments now operating in the capital, including the Defense and Justice Departments and helicopters, drones, and other mobile surveillance or tactical resources that have been called into Washington, New York, and other cities. The report also mentions that the Coast Guard provided drone surveillance capabilities to support the New York Police Department (NYPD) in its response to civil unrest. NYPD also has officers present in the U.S. Secret Service command post in Trump Tower.
On Monday, hacktivist group Anonymous tweeted the Yahoo News report, sparking widespread outrage on social media. One user wrote, "The Trump regime militarising the streets against defenseless protesters. @USArmy Is now being used to execute American citizens. This is so wrong #BlackLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatterUK." Another shared, "America calling the military against its own people. For peaceful protest. the truth is here folks. Y’all seeing it first-hand everything you believed was good isn’t. I hate it has come to this but I’m glad the system finally showing their true colors. I’ve seen it for a minute."
A user tweeted, "Fighting against our own people is not the solution! The solution starts from within! The use of force is only going to lead to more issues..." One user wrote, "This is an invasion force. They are occupying us as if we were a freshly conquered country. Defund and abolish every single agency listed in that article." Another asked, "where was this energy when the kkk threatened to kill all black people in Alabama?????"