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GEORGE FLOYD: Protests erupt across US cities, as Trump defends controversial tweet

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GEORGE FLOYD: Protests erupt across US cities, as Trump defends controversial tweet

Wild protests have erupted across the United States of America over the deadly arrest of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who was pinned to the ground by the knee of a white officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reports say the Pentagon has ordered the army to put several active-duty US military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis while soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called.

Hundreds of people protested for a second day in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, with some demonstrators breaking into the city’s Hall of Justice and starting a fire inside.

READ ALSO: Officer who placed knee on George Floyd’s neck charged with third degree murder and manslaughter

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has moved to defend his controversial tweet in the wake of George Floyd’s brutal death which Twitter deemed to be glorifying violence, by saying he was only stating a fact.

“Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night,” Trump tweeted, repeating the phrase he initially tweeted late on Thursday.

“It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It’s very simple; nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd!” Trump said.

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