U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that foreign interests and “extremist agitators” tied to the Antifa movement have tried to exploit nationwide protests over the latest in a long series of killings of black men by white police officers.
Barr’s statements came three days after an internal intelligence assessment produced by the Department of Homeland Security and seen by Reuters found that most of the violence at the protests appeared to have been carried out by opportunists, not organized extremists.
While Barr and Republican President Donald Trump have focused blame on Antifa, a loosely organized anti-fascist movement, federal prosecutors in Las Vegas on Wednesday charged three members of the far-right “Boogaloo” movement with planning to cause violence and destruction during protests.
“We have seen evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involving in instigating and participating in violent activity,” Barr said at a news conference.
Barr also defended his decision to forcefully push peaceful protesters back from the White House on Monday evening, saying rioting had gotten out of control over the weekend.
Clearing the protesters allowed Trump to stage a photo opportunity at a nearby historic church, where a fire set during the earlier mayhem did minor damage. – READ MORE
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