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5,600 arrested as US police battle protesters
The National Guard and US Army have been deployed in numerous cities across the United States on a seventh night of protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd‘s death.
Public buildings have been torched, police vehicles have been firebombed and at least two people have been killed in shootings amid the chaos over the past week.
Dozens of cities, including Washington DC and New York City, are under curfew as the violence continues.
President Donald Trump said he wanted military and law enforcement to “dominate the streets” and labelled state governors “weak” over what he claimed was their inability to clamp down on protests.
It is estimated at least 5,600 people have been arrested in cities around the US since demonstrations broke out, according to a tally by the Associated Press compiled from police departments, police agency Twitter activity and media reports.
But not all protests have been violent, with thousands of people taking part in peaceful protests against police brutality across the country.
This story will be updated throughout Tuesday.
Reverend Mariann Budde, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, said she was “outraged” by the visit and the actions by police that facilitated it.
“The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for,” she said.
“To do so, he sanctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard. I am outraged.
“The President did not pray when he came to St. John’s; nor did he acknowledge the agony and sacred worth of people of colour in our nation who rightfully demand an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country.”
