In the United States, violence could worsen in case of disputed election

Members of the Boogaloo Boys against lockdown on May 2 in New Hampshire.

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From our correspondent in the United States,

A little over three months have passed since the death of George Floyd.

And if the demonstrations - mostly peaceful - of the first weeks ran out of steam, the mobilization hardened in several cities, in particular in Portland then in Kenosha, where Jacob Blake was seriously injured by police fire on August 23.

Donald Trump, who visited Wisconsin on Tuesday, once again promised to bring back "law and order", equating "riots and looting" with "domestic terrorism".

Donald Trump visited merchants in Kenosha affected by violence on September 1, 2020. - E.Vucci / AP / SIPA

The day before, Joe Biden had accused the American president of "stoking the embers of violence".

While armed self-defense groups are mobilizing and three people have been killed in the past ten days, "the situation could worsen" on November 3 in the event of a contested election, warns Carolyn Gallaher, teacher-researcher at the university of Washington specializing in paramilitary militias and the far right.

From George Floyd to Jacob Blake, a mobilization that has hardened

The death of George Floyd gave birth to "the strongest mobilization against racial injustices since the assassination of Martin Luther King", explained last June to

Omar Wasow, teacher-researcher at Princeton.

But if the rallies of the first days were marked by some outbursts, especially in Minneapolis, Washington, New York, Atlanta and Chicago, the hundreds of demonstrations that followed across the country were mostly peaceful.

The situation became tense in June in Seattle with the establishment of a self-proclaimed “autonomous zone”.

While Donald Trump called for "arrest these hideous anarchists immediately," the Democratic mayor of the city initially resisted before sending the police to evacuate the perimeter in early July.

In Portland, a minority of protesters have repeatedly attacked the city court.

Against the advice of Democratic officials, Donald Trump sent federal agents - customs and border police, in particular - in mid-July to protect the establishment.

Unidentified agents in military uniform arrested demonstrators without giving them a reason, taking them into unmarked vehicles - practices denounced by the civil rights organization ACLU.

Militarized Federal Agents from a patchwork of outside agencies have begun policing Portland (in rented minivans vans) without the explicit approval of the mayor, the state, or local municipalities.

This is what that looks like in practice: pic.twitter.com/losap4SsgI

- The Sparrow Project (@sparrowmedia) July 15, 2020

National mobilization was revived at the end of August when Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old African-American, was shot seven times in the back by the police during his arrest in Kenosha.

In Wisconsin, despite appeals for calm from the family, cars and businesses were set on fire, prompting the Democratic governor to call for the deployment of the National Guard, a US Army reserve force.

Far-right armed militias come into play

"The main difference between the start of the demonstrations and today is the mobilization of armed militias of the extreme right," said Carolyn Gallaher.

Some groups have been established for years, such as Oath Keepers, which mainly recruits former members of the law enforcement and military.

Others are much more recent, such as the Boogaloo Boys movement, born in the twists and turns of the 4Chan site and which has mobilized against confinement and Black Lives Matter since the spring.

Officially, these armed groups, which organize themselves in particular via Facebook and flirt with white supremacism, ensure that they are there to protect the community and businesses from looters.

But according to Gallaher, "they are wreaking havoc by seeking clash with the Black Lives Matter protesters."

Two people were killed in Kenosha by a 17-year-old pro-Trump activist, who has been charged with murder.

And in Portland, a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer was shot and killed on the sidelines of clashes with protesters.

Are these armed militias legal?

The answer is complex.

More than 40 American states authorize the carrying of an

weapon on the public highway

.

But if the 2nd Amendment mentions “well regulated militias”, the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that a civilian could only protect his person, his family or his property.

“All states in one way or another ban private paramilitary militias,” Georgetown University law professor Mary McCord told NPR radio.

In Kenosha, the sheriff ruled out the idea of ​​legally allowing militias to participate in the maintenance of order.

Despite everything, we saw the police fraternizing with armed civilians.

The risk of a conflagration in the event of a contested election

"In the 1990s, far-right militias were mainly anti-government," recalls Carolyn Gallaher.

“The big news is that some now support Donald Trump and the police.

The American president refuses to condemn the action of these groups, considering that some are "patriots".

On Tuesday, Donald Trump also implied that Kenosha's suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, had acted in self-defense: "He was trying to get away, and he would probably have been killed" if he had not fired , assured the American president.

Kyle Rittenhouse (left), a 17-year-old pro-Trump activist, has been charged with the murder of two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

- Adam Rogan / The Journal Times via AP

It is in this particularly tense climate that the presidential election will take place in just two months, on November 3.

For Gallaher, "it is possible, and perhaps even probable, that violence will erupt if there is no clear winner" between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

"Be careful, this does not mean that there will be a civil war, but clashes between demonstrators and armed militias could spread to other cities" if one of the candidates refuses to capitulate, estimates the researcher.

In July, Donald Trump, moreover, refused to commit to accepting the results, declaring: "We will have to see, I will not say yes, I will not say no.

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World

Protests in Wisconsin: Armed militiaman, 17, arrested for two murders

• Far right

• United States

• Black Lives Matter

• US presidential election

• World

• Donald trump