Barr: Floyd Riots Are the Work of ‘Far Left Extremist Groups Using Antifa-Like Tactics’

Attorney General William Barr, speaking alone at a Department of Justice press conference on Saturday, said he believed recent protests around the country were the work of “violent radical elements” and that his agency and its subsidiaries were supporting state and local governments in their efforts to curb the clashes. “Unfortunately, with the rioting that is occurring in many cities around our country, the voices of peaceful protest are being hijacked by violent radical elements... In many places it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by anarchic and far left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence,” he said. Tense and violent protests against police brutality have exploded across the country in response to the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder.