The Political Insider

On Thursday, Attorney General William Barr said that there is evidence that Antifa and other extremist groups have helped instigate acts of nationwide violence that have broken out in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Barr: ‘Such senseless acts of anarchy are not exercises of First Amendment rights; they are crimes’

“While many have peacefully expressed their anger and grief, others have hijacked protests to engage in lawlessness — violent rioting and arson, looting of businesses and public property, assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent,” Barr explained at a news conference.

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“Such senseless acts of anarchy are not exercises of First Amendment rights; they are crimes designed to terrify fellow citizens and intimidate communities,” he continued.

“As I told the governors on Monday, we understand the distinction among three different sets of actors. The large preponderance of those who are protesting are peaceful demonstrators who are exercising their First Amendment rights,” Barr said.

“At some demonstrations, there are groups that exploit the opportunity to engage in looting. And finally, at some demonstration, there are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda,” the AG noted.

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‘We have evidence that Antifa…have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity’

“We have evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. We are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence,” Barr continued.

“The Justice Department is also working closely with our state and local partners to address violent riots around the country. Our federal law enforcement efforts are focused on the violent instigators,” Barr finished.