In a Biden campaign video released Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama attacked “racist” President Donald Trump and defended Black Lives Matter protests, some of whom eventually turned violent, rationalizing that the BLM movement is “overwhelmingly peaceful” and their violence makes up “only a tiny fraction” of the group’s demonstrations.
“But right now, the president and his allies are trying to tap into that frustration and distract from his breathtaking failures by giving folks someone to blame other than them,” Mrs. Obama said in the video. “They’re stoking fears about Black and Brown Americans, lying about how minorities will destroy the suburbs, whipping up violence and intimidation — and they’re pinning it all on what’s been an overwhelmingly peaceful movement for racial solidarity.”
“It’s true, research backs it up; only a tiny fraction of demonstrations have had any violence at all,” claimed the former First Lady. “So what the president is doing is, once again, patently false. It’s morally wrong, and yes, it is racist.”
“But that doesn’t mean it won’t work,” Mrs. Obama continued. “Because this is a difficult time, a confusing time, and when people hear these lies and these crazy conspiracies repeated over, and over, and over again, they don’t know what to think. With everything going on in their lives, they don’t have time to fact-check falsehoods being spread throughout the Internet, and even reasonable people might get scared.”
“And one thing this president is really good at,” she claimed, “is using fear and confusion and spreading lies to win.”
Mrs. Obama was seemingly referencing a Princeton study that highlighted BLM protesting as mostly peaceful. However, as noted by conservatives, the same study also highlighted that the left-wing protesters were violent about 570 times in over 220 locations across the country while demonstrating against alleged racial injustices.
“Princeton University group studies 3 months of Black Lives Matter protests. Intent is to show they are ‘overwhelmingly peaceful,'” reported Byron York. “But report reveals nearly 570 violent demonstrations–riots–in nearly 220 locations spread all across country.”
Princeton University group studies 3 months of Black Lives Matter protests. Intent is to show they are 'overwhelmingly peaceful.' But report reveals nearly 570 violent demonstrations–riots–in nearly 220 locations spread all across country. https://t.co/it60GBbTZT pic.twitter.com/Ph8iECyHIf
— Byron York (@ByronYork) September 5, 2020
The Washington Examiner reported in September on the study: “A report published by the U.S. Crisis Project, a joint effort by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project and the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton, found that about 93% of more than 10,600 demonstrations over the course of three months this summer have been peaceful.”
“The study found that of those 10,600 protests, 7,750 were connected to the Black Lives Matter movement,” the report added.
“In more than 93% of all demonstrations connected to the movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity,” the study found. “Peaceful protests are reported in over 2,400 distinct locations around the country. Violent demonstrations, meanwhile, have been limited to fewer than 220 locations — under 10% of the areas that experienced peaceful protests.”
“Conservatives on Twitter noted that the findings leave 7% of protests in a violent category,” the Examiner underscored.
WATCH:
.@MichelleObama on BLM riots: Trump is “pinning [violence] on what’s been an overwhelmingly peaceful movement for racial solidarity; it’s true, research backs it up; only a tiny fraction of demonstrations have had any violence at all … What the president is doing is … racist.” pic.twitter.com/7wBsmACiCQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 6, 2020
Related: Poll: Support For Black Lives Matter Protests Plummets Amid Riots