Some congressional Democrats are pointing at right-wing “infiltrators” and “agents provocateurs” as the cause of riots and upheaval in Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and other cities.
That’s a shift away from laying the blame on federal law enforcement for nightly war zones in some of the country’s largest metropolitan regions. Meanwhile, public sympathy for protesters shrank as attempts to burn down courthouses and attack police were regularly broadcast.
The Associated Press examined arrest records from the riots in Portland since mid-June and found that 95% were local and the overwhelming majority have no criminal record in Oregon. Several are college students, and the average age was 28.
“These protesters, these peaceful protesters are very respectful of law enforcement, and they’re very peaceful. You have a few bad apples, some of whom are agent provocateurs. You have a few bad apples who come in here and create opportunities for violence,” Georgia Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson told the Washington Examiner. “And that’s not what the peaceful protesters are about. All protests are not riots.”
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin told the Washington Examiner that Black Lives Matter should not be held responsible for the monument knockdowns or attacks on law enforcement.
“The recent effort in Chicago to pull down on the Christopher Columbus statue, I talked to the mayor about it. She said there was another organized group there, black masks, black umbrellas, they were there, and they were harassing and attacking the police,” he said. “I don’t believe that’s the same group that I’ve met at Black Lives Matter rallies I’ve been to at all. And I don’t discount the fact that that does exist on the Left and on the Right.”
Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin went as far as to accuse right-wing groups of infiltrating and spreading anti-Semitism within the Black Lives Matter movement during the tech hearing hosted by a House Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday.
