Despite Donald Trump's frustrations with Twitter, which recently led the President to openly lambast the platform for daring to fact-check him, he has continued to utilize it to voice his thoughts and whims whenever they surface. With the George Floyd protests continuing to transpire against the United States, the tension between the police and the people has intensified. It's gotten to the point where a video of a 75-year-old protestor Martin Gugino being violently shoved by Buffalo police officers can actually yield a divisive response.
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You may recall the footage of the disturbing altercation, which left an elderly man bleeding on the ground. And while many reacted to the video with shock and outrage, several Buffalo officers remained supportive of their colleagues, going so far as to protest their suspension from the force. This morning, Donald Trump made sure to clarify where his loyalties lie, taking to Twitter to cast doubt on Gugino's character.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur," writes Trump. "75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN. I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?" Given that Trump previously declared ANTIFA to be a terrorist organization, he's essentially accusing Gugino of being a potential enemy of the state. A harsh label for a victim of police brutality, and further indication of where Donald Trump stands on the ongoing protests.
Two Buffalo Cops Charged For Shoving 75-Year-Old Protestor
The two officers that were caught on camera shoving an elderly protester have pleaded not guilty.
As protests erupted across the country over the past week and a half, it has been appalling to watch how police have been conducting themselves as people peacefully demonstrate against racism and police brutality. Nonetheless, there have been even more injustices at the hands of the police during the protests such as the death of David McAtee.
There's another clip that surfaced this week of an elderly man getting shoved to the ground by two police officers. What's worse is that the video shows him evidently bleeding while the police walk past him. New reports claim that the two officers responsible for the man's injury, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, have turned themselves in. They were charged with second-degree assault, though they were released without bond. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The officers were suspended without pay on Friday night after the footage circulated online. However, many of their fellow officers resigned from the emergency team after it was announced they'd be suspended.
"I think there was criminal liability from what I saw on the video,“ Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a briefing Saturday. ”I think what the mayor did and the district attorney did was right, and I applaud them for acting as quickly as they did.”
We'll keep you posted on anymore updates regarding the case.
