North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said Friday that some of the protesters acting out violently in Charlotte this week are “anarchists” who have nothing to do with those looking to demonstrate peacefully to protest the shooting of an unarmed black man.
The Republican governor said Friday on Fox News that he “explained the situation to both Mr. Trump and the president” in separate phone calls he had with them.
“I told them both that we have some anarchists who do not have legitimate reason to protest,” he said. “We have other protests that are doing an incredible job of expressing their viewpoint, which needs to be heard.”
McCrory said he also told Obama and Trump “about the courage of our police officers and our National Guard.”
Trump tweeted Thursday night that he had just spoken with McCrory and applauded the “tremendous job” he is doing “under tough circumstances.”
Hillary Clinton spoke with both Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., on Thursday to discuss the recent police shooting and subsequent protests. According to Clinton’s campaign, she offered her assistance and discussed how to ensure that “everyone is respected by the law, and everyone has respect for the law.”
The protests in Charlotte broke out Tuesday night in response to the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man who was shot in the parking lot of his apartment complex earlier this week. Protests became violent on Wednesday night, prompting McCrory to declare a state of emergency. Charlotte instituted a midnight curfew on Thursday, and there were no signs of violence.
