Seattle police said riots have erupted again in the city. According to law enforcement officials, the protesters tried to blow up the police station, the crowd threw at the security forces "bottles and balloons with liquid, explosive devices and launched fireworks at them." The corresponding statement is given on the official website of the Seattle police.

"Due to the continuing threat to public safety and damage caused during the demonstration, the Seattle police classified the incident as a riot and demanded that the protesters disperse," the message said.

As clarified by law enforcement officers, several people separated from the group of protesters who "began to spray paint, and also tried to disable the surveillance cameras and break through the fence at the police station."

“At least one of them managed to break through. A few seconds later, an explosive device went off, as a result of which a hole with a diameter of 20 cm appeared in the wall of the building, ”the statement says.

More than 20 law enforcement officers were injured during the protests. Seattle police said on official Twitter that one of the security officials was hospitalized after being wounded in the leg in an explosion.

45 people were detained for attacks on police officers, obstruction of their activities and refusal to disperse. 

Meanwhile, during the unrest in the American city of Louisville, Kentucky, at least three people were injured as a result of shooting, local police said.

“As a result of the use of firearms carried by one of the protesters, three people were injured. This protester took part in the NFAC (Not F * cking Around Coalition) demonstration at John Baxter Park, ”said Louisville Deputy Police Chief Lavita Chavos.

According to her, earlier protesters blocked a street in the New Louisville area with tables and large barrels tied with wire.

“The barrels were filled with water, urine and bleach. These fluids are used in attacks against law enforcement officers across the country. Yesterday some protesters threw bottles with water at the police, ”Lavita Chavos said.

According to law enforcement officials, as a result of a series of similar incidents, 76 protesters were detained "on charges of assaulting police officers, blocking highway access and disturbing public order."

Portland also saw vandalism by protesters and aggressive action against security forces on July 26, local law enforcement reported. The protesters are blocking the road, some of them openly call for violence.

  • Demonstrators and federal agents clash in Portland, July 24, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Caitlin Ochs

Clashes occurred between protesters and federal agents in Portland on Friday and Saturday, according to media reports. In response to the dispersal of protesters with tear gas and noise grenades, the protesters threw firecrackers and incendiary shells at the security forces. 

One person was shot dead during a protest in Austin, Texas the day before. This was stated during a briefing by a senior police officer of the city Katrina Ratcliffe. According to her, the suspect in the crime was detained.

And in Oakland, California, demonstrators set fire to a local courthouse, smashed the windows of a police station and attacked security officials. This is reported by the city's law enforcement officers on Twitter.

Actions of the authorities

We will remind, protests against police violence and racial discrimination caused by the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement officers have been going on in many US cities for two months and are often accompanied by riots.

In order to normalize the situation in Portland, where protests have not stopped for more than 50 days, federal law enforcement connections arrived.

Speaking at the White House on July 22, Donald Trump announced the dispatch of hundreds of federal agents to Chicago as part of Operation Legend, designed to improve security in protest cities.

US Attorney General William Barr, who joined Trump at the press conference, also said that more than 200 federal law enforcement officers have been deployed to Kansas City, Missouri, and additional forces will be deployed to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In addition, the government has announced more than $ 60 million in grants for recruiting police officers in cities where crime rates are on the rise.

As the American president noted, more than 300 people were shot dead in New York in the last month alone. This figure is at least 277% higher than the figures for the same period last year, Trump said. He also said that homicide rates were up 27% in Philadelphia and 94% in Minneapolis for 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. A sharp rise in the number of murders is also observed in Chicago, the president added.

For decades, he said, politicians who govern many major US cities have put the interests of criminals above the rights of law-abiding citizens. As Trump emphasized, these same politicians are now supporting the far left in its quest to destroy police stations, which has led to a skyrocketing, uncontrolled rise in violent crime.

  • U.S. Federal Agents, July 26, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Caitlin Ochs

On the same day, July 22, Democratic mayors from 14 American cities (Portland, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, California, Sacramento, Tucson) sent a joint letter to US Attorney General William Barr and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, in which they called on the US presidential administration to end the practice of sending additional federal forces to populated areas of the country where protests are ongoing.

"Acquires a political coloring"

Demonstrations against racism and police violence in the United States not only do not stop, but also take on new forms, experts say. 

“This is only partly due to the sad story of the death of George Floyd and social problems within the United States. At this stage, the fight against the security forces is becoming more and more political, "said Yuri Rogulyov, director of the Franklin Roosevelt US Research Foundation at Moscow State University, in an interview with RT.

According to the expert, in the framework of the election campaign on the eve of the presidential elections, the Democrats deliberately "stir up protest moods."

“They use demonstrations and riots in their political struggle as an excuse to once again oppose the president, condemn his actions and accuse him of exceeding his powers,” the expert explained.

In turn, Trump "is trying to show that he is able to restore order with a firm hand if representatives of the Democratic Party do not interfere with him," Rogulyov said. At the same time, the analyst emphasizes that in fact, "the federal center's ability to resolve the situation with the protests is very limited."

“Trump may send some federal units to try to restore order, but he is doing it rather to create the appearance of active action. The federal center does not have many opportunities and means to resist the numerous aggressive protesters. After all, the police are subordinate to the local authorities, the White House cannot control it, ”explained Rogulyov.

A similar point of view is shared by the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research Vladimir Bruter. He believes Trump is "unable to suppress protests across the country."

"The head of the White House with the help of federal agents can only locally cope with individual manifestations of unrest," the analyst said.

  • US President Donald Trump
  • Reuters
  • © Tom Brenner

At the same time, experts agree that while in the United States "conditions have not been formed for the cessation of demonstrations", therefore, the riots will continue.

“The coronavirus epidemic in the United States is only gaining momentum, the economic situation is deteriorating. Against this backdrop, social discontent is growing, fueling new waves of protests. At the same time, the situation is aggravated by the internal political struggle in the United States. The fading of protests can happen closer to the elections only if the US economy somehow magically begins to recover quickly. However, this may not happen before the election process in November, ”the expert concluded.