Left-wing documentary filmmaker and vocal Trump critic Michael Moore issued a series of social media posts praising the riots that have engulfed Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd — the 46-year-old African-American man who died after a white officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. In the posts, Moore specifically urges protesters to “demolish” the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Police Precinct headquarters, accuses “White Minnesota” of telling the world that it’s “OK” to “murder” black people, and calls for open “revolt.”
In response to escalating riots in his city over Floyd’s death, Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey ordered that police “evacuate the Third Precinct.” By the end of the night, rioters had utterly demolished the building, while the Saint Paul Police Department reported that more than 170 businesses were “damaged or looted” and “dozens of fires” were set.
Amid the chaos Thursday night, Moore cheered on the “good citizens” for “burning down the evil police precinct,” demanded that “all police should go home,” and suggested that race should determine who is allowed in the police department.
“Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out [and] safe,” Moore tweeted Thursday night (posts below). “All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind [people] aka [people] of color.”
Moore followed that post up by describing the riots as “liberating” Minnesota. In response to a “lockdown”-themed tweet by Trump declaring “liberate Minnesota!” Moore wrote: “YES! MR.PRESIDENT! IT’S HAPPENING! You’ve inspired so many!”
“I wake up this morning and the four killer cops are still on the loose in Minneapolis?” Moore wrote in a follow-up tweet Friday morning. “They murdered George Floyd on Monday and they’re still not behind bars? The prosecutor is now a lawbreaker by letting them run free. Arrest him too. Clearly Minnesota hasn’t gotten the message.”
The filmmaker then directed a post to “White Minnesota,” as well as Georgia and Kentucky, accusing them all of believing it’s a “beautiful thing” to murder black people: “White Minnesota — you’ve told us quite clearly: ‘Police Murder of Black people is OK!’ Georgia: ‘Hunting & Murdering Black ppl is cool’ Kentucky: ‘Cops plugging 8bullets into a Black woman in the middle of the night in her own home is a beautiful thing!’ Riots? THIS IS A REBELLION”
After the riot-inciting posts, Moore issued another tweet, this time stressing “nonviolence” — even against “dirty murdering white cops.”
“Nonviolence. Harm no one, not even dirty murdering white cops,” he wrote. “They kill. Over [and] over again. We stand by [and] we just watch. So we must rise up. We revolt. We remove Trump in a few months. White [people] — here’s your chance to take a stand against 401 yrs of this.”
Moore then pushed a riot-promoting post from NFL quarterback-turned-social justice activist Colin Kaepernick.
“When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,” Kaepernick tweeted Thursday. “The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd.”
In response to the escalating chaos, Trump blasted both the rioters and the “weak” Democratic mayor in a pair of tweets early Friday. “I can’t stand back [and] watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” Trump wrote. “A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard [and] get the job done right. These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
The second of the tweets — containing the line “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” — was censored by Twitter for “glorifying violence.”
Twitter has not censored any of Moore’s posts.
Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out & safe. All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
YES! MR.PRESIDENT! IT’S HAPPENING! You’ve inspired so many! https://t.co/HR1SVGcBjA
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
I wake up this morning and the four killer cops are still on the loose in Minneapolis? They murdered George Floyd on Monday and they’re still not behind bars? The prosecutor is now a lawbreaker by letting them run free. Arrest him too.Clearly Minnesota hasn’t gotten the message. pic.twitter.com/gTDXiWAW2X
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
White Minnesota — you’ve told us quite clearly: “Police Murder of Black people is OK!” Georgia: “Hunting & Murdering Black ppl is cool” Kentucky:”Cops plugging 8bullets into a Black woman in the middle of the night in her own home is a beautiful thing!” Riots? THIS IS A REBELLION
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
Nonviolence. Harm no one, not even dirty murdering white cops. They kill. Over & over again. We stand by & we just watch. So we must rise up. We revolt. We remove Trump in a few months. White ppl – here’s your chance to take a stand against 401 yrs of this.
From Colin Kaepernick: pic.twitter.com/4Qd1KYwMGZ— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
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