Joe Biden is calling for “peaceful protests” in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in a Minneapolis suburb.
“I think we’ve got to wait and see what the investigation shows. The entire investigation. You’ve all watched, I assume as I did, the… body cam, which is fairly graphic,” Biden said. “The question is: Was it an accident, was it intentional? That remains to be determined by a full-blown investigation. But in the meantime, I want to make it clear again: There is absolutely no justification, none, for looting. No justification for violence; peaceful protest is understandable.”
President Biden on fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota on Sunday night: “I think we got to wait and see when the investigation shows and the entire investigation. You all watched, I assume as I did, the film, the body cam, which is fairly graphic.” pic.twitter.com/EN7XnKlzeX
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 12, 2021
While Biden did specifically distinguish between looting and violence versus peaceful protest, last year the media seemed intent on conflating “peaceful protests” and acts of violence. CNN and MSNBC, for example, specifically avoided calling the George Floyd riots “riots.” MSNBC reporter Ali Velshi infamously called the riots “mostly peaceful” as he stood amongst rampant violence in front of a burning building.
MSNBC reporter just now: “I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly.”
The guy is literally standing in front of a burning building in the middle of a riot. pic.twitter.com/IzCV6On4sF
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) May 29, 2020
In fact, Joe Biden and other Democrats were also guilty of conflating violence with peaceful protests.
“The act of protesting should never be allowed to overshadow the reason we protest. It should not drive people away from the just cause that protest is meant to advance,” Biden said in a statement on May 31, 2020, amid the George Floyd riots that resulted in as much as $2 billion property damage and the deaths of innocent people. As the rioters burned down buildings, assaulted and murdered people, Biden and others referred to them as “peaceful protesters” and refused to condemn them.
It wasn’t until polling suggested their support of the BLM riots was backfiring that Biden and others started flip-flopping and condemning the protests. But before that, the political left was so enamored with the violent protests that many donated and promoted the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a group that accepts donations to pay the bail of criminals.
The group raised a staggering $35 million in the wake of the death of George Floyd, as violent protests and looting plagued Minneapolis. Hollywood celebrities promoted the bail fund group, and so did Senator Kamala Harris, who urged her followers on Twitter to donate to the group “to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.”
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
At least 13 staffers on Biden’s campaign posted on Twitter about their donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which opposes the concept of cash bail, and uses donations to pay bail fees in Minneapolis. In addition to paying for the bail of rioters, according to a local news report, MFF also “bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with murder, violent felonies, and sex crimes.” In July, the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) paid the bail of a man accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl, allowing him to get out of jail, according to court records obtained by the Daily Caller.
In every conceivable way, Democrats have tolerated, even condoned political violence. Whether it’s calling rioters and looters “peaceful protesters” or donating money to pay their bail, they sent a clear message of approval of their actions. So yeah, when Joe Biden says “peaceful protest is understandable” I can’t help but worry that’s a dog whistle for calling for more riots and violence.
