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Tom Cotton terms George Floyd protesters ‘Antifa terrorists’, urges calling 101st Airborne to restore order

"If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let's see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they're facing off with the 101st Airborne Division," the Republican senator said
UPDATED JUN 1, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Republican senator Tom Cotton has called for use of military force against Black Lives Matter protestors, deeming them “Antifa terrorists”. The demonstrators have taken to the streets across the US after the May 25 death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on his neck for around 8 minutes. Police officer Derek Chauvin was fired after video footage showed him kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin was later charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on May 29. Joining ‘Fox and Friends’ to discuss the rioting around the country on Monday, June 1, Cotton said: “If local politicians will not do their most basic job to protect our citizens, let's see how these anarchists respond when the 101st Airborne is on the other side of the street."

Cotton, who is closely aligned with President Donald Trump, elaborated more on his stand against the protests on Twitter. He wrote: “Anarchy, rioting, and looting need to end tonight. If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let's see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they're facing off with the 101st Airborne Division. We need to have zero tolerance for this destruction. And, if necessary, the 10th Mountain, 82nd Airborne, 1st Cav, 3rd Infantry—whatever it takes to restore order. No quarter for insurrectionists, anarchists, rioters, and looters."

However, his comments didn't go down well with people on the social media site. “Tom Cotton desperately wants to drop bombs on black and brown communities. He knows it's already happened in 1985 and he's foaming at the mouth for another. Twitter should see this as glorifying violence as well,” one wrote.

“Nothing @SenTomCotton likes more than the idea of nuking Iran AND idiotic posturing in public. (Seriously, a Senator of the U.S., talking tough on twitter about using the 101st Airborne Division on looters. Ha! What a buffoon. Dude is a joke.),” commented another one while a third said: “Is there a Twitter report option for “Inciting War Crimes”? Or would the right claim that violates Tom Cotton’s free speech?”

“@Jack @Twitter .... you need to delete Tom Cotton's account. He's calling for the genocide of American citizens. And even if his like-minded military morons have the sense to ignore him....  there are armed right-wing militia groups who operate on the GOP's behalf that don't,” tweeted a fourth person.

Besides, it has also been said that Cotton’s comments sounded close to Trump’s rhetoric, which has included threatening "the unlimited power" of the US military against demonstrators. The POTUS has also threatened protestors outside the White House with "vicious dogs" and "ominous weapons" he claimed the Secret Service was prepared to use against them. "That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least,” the president added.

Trump has earlier even quoted a racist white police chief who sparked riots in the 1960s saying, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." However, later he defended it saying he did not know the words had racist origins. He tweeted, "Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night — or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means...."

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