Death of George Floyd: several American states appeal to the National Guard

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After the death of George Floyd, the anger of the black community spreads to all the United States. Meetings sometimes punctuated with violence have taken place in nearly a hundred American cities such as Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia ... Given the scale of the events, more than a dozen states have decided to put set up a curfew and appeal to the National Guard.

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Minnesota, Texas or California… There is a National Guard in each American state. They are reserve soldiers placed under the authority of the governor who assumes the role of commander-in-chief, and who decides alone if he calls upon these units in the event of a natural disaster or serious disturbance of public order. 

Most of the time, it is not professional soldiers, but familiar citizens of the army who undergo compulsory training, at least one weekend per month. 

But beware of the symbol, because after the death of Martin Luther King in 1968 , it was already the National Guard that had deployed to suppress the angry manifestations of the black community. In some states such as Arkansas, in the midst of racial segregation, these soldiers were also used to prevent blacks from having access to certain public services. 

On paper, it is a neutral force, but American politicians have used it in the past for political ends. In other words, the slightest slippage by the National Guard in the management of this violence can set fire to the powder.

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• United States
• Justice
• Racism

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