Politics is intensifying after the death of an African American in the United States triggered violent protests. WION'a Palki Sharma tells you how the opposition is blaming US President Donald Trump for the escalating tensions.

Gravitas: United States | Politics erupts over the death of an African American

The US leaves no opportunity in commenting on the affairs of other countries. What does the world make of violence in America? WION's Palki Sharma brings you global reactions.

Gravitas: Riots in the United States | How is the world reacting?

Maryland police arrested dozens of demonstrators, 65 according to NBC, on Saturday who were protesting over the most recent fatal shootings of two black American men by police. The arrests were mostly for misdemeanors for blocking traffic. 
 
Authorities grappled with a wave of demonstrations against police use of force that has swept the country in the past weeks after the killing of Philando Castile, 32, in a St Paul, Minnesota, suburb, and Alton Sterling, 37, in Baton Rouge. 
 
The protest took place as Baltimore awaits a decision in the trial of a police officer charged in the 2015 death of black detainee Freddie Gray, which then triggered protests and rioting. 
 
At a spontaneous march in Dallas on July 7, a US military veteran shot and killed five police officers, sending a chill through law enforcement as well as those involved in the mostly peaceful demonstrations. 
 
Baltimore police received a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday that local gangs were targetting police, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. 
 
With protests hitting many US cities, the deadly ambush of Dallas police, and the ever-present threat of gun violence, four countries have urged citizens to be on alert if visiting the United States.&nbsp;The Bahamas, Bahrain, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates have warned citizens to be on guard if visiting US cities rocked by sometimes violent protests. 
 
(Reuters)

The arrests were mostly for misdemeanors, like blocking traffic

Maryland police arrested dozens of demonstrators, 65 according to NBC, on Saturday who were protesting over the most recent fatal shootings of two black American men by police. The arrests were mostly for misdemeanors for blocking traffic. Authorities grappled with a wave of demonstrations against police use of force that has swept the country in the past weeks after the killing of Philando Castile, 32, in a St Paul, Minnesota, suburb, and Alton Sterling, 37, in Baton Rouge. The protest took place as Baltimore awaits a decision in the trial of a police officer charged in the 2015 death of black detainee Freddie Gray, which then triggered protests and rioting. At a spontaneous march in Dallas on July 7, a US military veteran shot and killed five police officers, sending a chill through law enforcement as well as those involved in the mostly peaceful demonstrations. Baltimore police received a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday that local gangs were targetting police, Police Chief Kevin Davis said. With protests hitting many US cities, the deadly ambush of Dallas police, and the ever-present threat of gun violence, four countries have urged citizens to be on alert if visiting the United States. The Bahamas, Bahrain, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates have warned citizens to be on guard if visiting US cities rocked by sometimes violent protests. (Reuters)

65 arrested at Baltimore protest over police brutality

The fiancee of a&nbsp;black&nbsp;man&nbsp;fatally shot by police in Minnesota after a traffic stop told reporters today&nbsp;that the officers on the scene never checked the&nbsp;man&#39;s pulse after the shooting and handcuffed her.

Diamond Reynolds, who broadcast the bloody aftermath of Philando Castile&#39;s shooting, said the officers involved did not perform first aid on him and that she and her daughter were questioned separately by police.

&quot;I was treated like a criminal,&quot; Reynolds told reporters outside the Minnesota state house. &quot;I was treated like I was the one that did this. They were very racist towards me. They treated me like this was my fault.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

'I was treated like a criminal. I was treated like I was the one that did this,' she said

The fiancee of a black man fatally shot by police in Minnesota after a traffic stop told reporters today that the officers on the scene never checked the man's pulse after the shooting and handcuffed her. Diamond Reynolds, who broadcast the bloody aftermath of Philando Castile's shooting, said the officers involved did not perform first aid on him and that she and her daughter were questioned separately by police. "I was treated like a criminal," Reynolds told reporters outside the Minnesota state house. "I was treated like I was the one that did this. They were very racist towards me. They treated me like this was my fault." (Reuters)

Fiancee of black man slain by police says she was handcuffed after shooting

<p data-label="Package" data-reactid=".1.0.1.0.1.2.$tag=2reuters=1com,2016=2newsml_KCN0ZN0MJ=21.1.0.0.0.0" data-text="Minneapolis area police fatally shoot black man during traffic stop" dir="auto" title="Minneapolis area police fatally shoot black man during traffic stop">A black motorist was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. 
 
The governor of the northern US state asked the White House to order a federal probe into Wednesday night&#39;s shooting in Falcon Heights, near Minneapolis, as calls mounted for justice for the 32-year-old victim Philando Castile. 
 
A four-year-old girl witnessed the shooting from the back seat of the car, as her mother -- Castile&#39;s girlfriend -- live-streamed the bloody aftermath while an officer pointed his gun through the window. 
 
Speaking to reporters outside the governor&#39;s mansion in St. Paul, after a night in police custody, Diamond Reynolds repeated what she asserted in the shock footage: that Castile was shot &quot;for no reason.&quot; 
 
&quot;Not one shot. Not two shots. Not three shots. Not four shots. But five shots,&quot; she said in a forceful appeal for justice to be served. 
 
Pulled over for a broken tail light, Castile informed the officer he was carrying a licensed gun, Reynolds said, and was shot as he reached for his license and registration. 
 
She said the officer, whom she described as an Asian male, made conflicting demands of Castile -- both that he keep his hands in the air and that he identify himself. 
 
&quot;Nothing within his body language said intimidation. Nothing within his body said, &#39;Shoot me.&#39; Nothing within his language said, &#39;Kill me I want to be dead.&quot; 
 
- &#39;Cover their butts&#39; - 
Reynolds said her phone had been seized as evidence and voiced fear of a police cover-up. 
 
&quot;They&#39;re gonna tamper with evidence,&quot; she told reporters. &quot;They&#39;re gonna do whatever they have to do to cover their butts.&quot; 
 
But Governor Mark Dayton pledged to push for a full and independent inquiry by the Department of Justice -- which is already investigating the police shooting of a black man caught on video two days earlier in Louisiana. 
 
&quot;Justice will be served in Minnesota,&quot; Dayton said. 
 
America&#39;s debate on police use of lethal force, especially against young black men, was set to hit fever pitch as a fourth officer went on trial Thursday in one of the highest-profile such cases of recent years. 
 
Three officers so far have escaped conviction in the case of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died last year in Baltimore after suffering spinal injuries in the back of a police van. 
 
On Tuesday this week, a black father of five, 37-year-old Alton Sterling, was pinned to the ground and shot several times at point blank range in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, prompting the launch of a federal civil rights probe. 
 
Shocked family members demanded justice for Castile, a school cafeteria worker, whose mother described him as a law-abiding citizen who kept out of trouble. 
 
&quot;I think he was just black in the wrong place,&quot; Valerie Castile told CNN. &quot;Every day you hear of another black person being shot down, gunned down by the people that are supposed to protect us.&quot; 
 
&quot;We&#39;re being hunted every day. It&#39;s a silent war against African-American people as a whole,&quot; Castile said. 
 
- Ten-minute video - 
In a 10-minute video with more than three million views after it was streamed live on Facebook, Reynolds -- clearly in shock -- methodically narrates the shooting incident as an officer trains his weapon on her. 
 
In the background, an officer is heard shouting: &quot;I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hands up.&quot; 
 
Reynolds starts wailing as it becomes clear Castile is dying. Castile can be seen in the driver seat, large blood stains spreading through his white shirt. He was later taken to hospital and pronounced dead. 
 
&quot;They didn&#39;t let me see my son&#39;s body, at all,&quot; Valerie Castile told CNN. 
 
In both the Minnesota and Louisiana cases, the victims had a gun in their possession, though there is no indication they pointed their weapon at police at any time. 
 
In Sterling&#39;s case, police said they intervened after an anonymous caller told police they had been threatened by a man with a gun. Sterling&#39;s family lawyer said he was merely selling CDs outside a convenience store, with the permission of its owner. 
 
A peaceful crowd of about 100 people kept vigil through the night outside the Baton Rouge store, where a mural has been painted in his honor. 
 
Officials appealed for calm after protesters took to the streets in the aftermath of Tuesday&#39;s shooting, and have promised a fully transparent probe led by federal civil rights investigators. 
 
The two officers involved in the Sterling case have been placed on administrative leave. 
 
(AFP)

A four-year-old girl witnessed the shooting from the back seat of the car

A black motorist was shot at close range by a Minnesota cop and seen bleeding to death in a graphic video shot by his girlfriend that went viral Thursday, the second fatal police shooting to rock America in as many days. The governor of the northern US state asked the White House to order a federal probe into Wednesday night's shooting in Falcon Heights, near Minneapolis, as calls mounted for justice for the 32-year-old victim Philando Castile. A four-year-old girl witnessed the shooting from the back seat of the car, as her mother -- Castile's girlfriend -- live-streamed the bloody aftermath while an officer pointed his gun through the window. Speaking to reporters outside the governor's mansion in St. Paul, after a night in police custody, Diamond Reynolds repeated what she asserted in the shock footage: that Castile was shot "for no reason." "Not one shot. Not two shots. Not three shots. Not four shots. But five shots," she said in a forceful appeal for justice to be served. Pulled over for a broken tail light, Castile informed the officer he was carrying a licensed gun, Reynolds said, and was shot as he reached for his license and registration. She said the officer, whom she described as an Asian male, made conflicting demands of Castile -- both that he keep his hands in the air and that he identify himself. "Nothing within his body language said intimidation. Nothing within his body said, 'Shoot me.' Nothing within his language said, 'Kill me I want to be dead." - 'Cover their butts' - Reynolds said her phone had been seized as evidence and voiced fear of a police cover-up. "They're gonna tamper with evidence," she told reporters. "They're gonna do whatever they have to do to cover their butts." But Governor Mark Dayton pledged to push for a full and independent inquiry by the Department of Justice -- which is already investigating the police shooting of a black man caught on video two days earlier in Louisiana. "Justice will be served in Minnesota," Dayton said. America's debate on police use of lethal force, especially against young black men, was set to hit fever pitch as a fourth officer went on trial Thursday in one of the highest-profile such cases of recent years. Three officers so far have escaped conviction in the case of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died last year in Baltimore after suffering spinal injuries in the back of a police van. On Tuesday this week, a black father of five, 37-year-old Alton Sterling, was pinned to the ground and shot several times at point blank range in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, prompting the launch of a federal civil rights probe. Shocked family members demanded justice for Castile, a school cafeteria worker, whose mother described him as a law-abiding citizen who kept out of trouble. "I think he was just black in the wrong place," Valerie Castile told CNN. "Every day you hear of another black person being shot down, gunned down by the people that are supposed to protect us." "We're being hunted every day. It's a silent war against African-American people as a whole," Castile said. - Ten-minute video - In a 10-minute video with more than three million views after it was streamed live on Facebook, Reynolds -- clearly in shock -- methodically narrates the shooting incident as an officer trains his weapon on her. In the background, an officer is heard shouting: "I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hands up." Reynolds starts wailing as it becomes clear Castile is dying. Castile can be seen in the driver seat, large blood stains spreading through his white shirt. He was later taken to hospital and pronounced dead. "They didn't let me see my son's body, at all," Valerie Castile told CNN. In both the Minnesota and Louisiana cases, the victims had a gun in their possession, though there is no indication they pointed their weapon at police at any time. In Sterling's case, police said they intervened after an anonymous caller told police they had been threatened by a man with a gun. Sterling's family lawyer said he was merely selling CDs outside a convenience store, with the permission of its owner. A peaceful crowd of about 100 people kept vigil through the night outside the Baton Rouge store, where a mural has been painted in his honor. Officials appealed for calm after protesters took to the streets in the aftermath of Tuesday's shooting, and have promised a fully transparent probe led by federal civil rights investigators. The two officers involved in the Sterling case have been placed on administrative leave. (AFP)

Minnesota police shoot black motorist at close range, second such shooting in as many days

Louisiana police have shot and killed a black man selling CDs outside a convenience store, triggering protests over the latest in a string of cases of alleged police brutality against black suspects. 
 
A video shot by a witness and circulated online showed two officers ordering a tall black man to the ground early Tuesday. 
 
As he remained standing, the officers wrestled him onto the roof of a car and then to the ground. While he was pinned down by the officers, one pulled a gun and shot him four times at close range. 
 
&quot;They shot him? Oh my fucking goodness!&quot; a witness can be heard as exclaiming in the background of the video. 
 
At least one woman can be heard wailing and repeating &quot;Oh my God!&quot; 
 
Police in the state&#39;s capital Baton Rouge identified the man as Alton Sterling, 37, saying two officers &quot;made contact&quot; with him in the parking lot of the convenience store. 
 
The shooting took place at 12:35 am (0435 GMT) Tuesday after police received a tip from an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun, according to a police statement. 
 
&quot;An altercation between Sterling and the officers ensued. Sterling was shot during the altercation and died at the scene,&quot; police said on Facebook. 
 
They said that in accordance with &quot;standard procedure,&quot; the two officers involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. 
 
The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner&#39;s Office said Sterling was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, WAFB television reported. 
 
News reports said the officers were wearing body cameras, which police said fell off during the confrontation. 
 
However, in addition to the witness video, the shooting was captured by the store&#39;s surveillance camera and at least one patrol car dashboard camera, state representative C. Denise Marcelle told news media after being briefed by the police chief. 
 
About 100 people, including friends and relatives of Sterling, protested outside the convenience store after shooting, some blocking roads, The Advocate newspaper reported. 
 
Holding up handmade signs, they chanted: &quot;Black lives matter&quot; and &quot;Hands up, don&#39;t shoot.&quot; 
 
&quot;Justice for Alton&quot; and &quot;Justice 4 CD Man&quot; read some of the signs. 
 
&quot;What I said to the (police) chief is he has to have transparency in this matter because as you can see, this is getting out of hand. People are clearly upset and they want transparency,&quot; Marcelle said. 
 
&#39;Legal lynching&#39; 
 
Edmond Jordan, an attorney representing Sterling&#39;s family, said the shooting was completely unjustified. 
 
&quot;That police officer fired two shots and he seemed to pause for a while and shot him two more times. I don&#39;t think any of those shots were justified, but I&#39;m curious as to why he paused for such a long time and then fired two more times,&quot; he told CNN. 
 
Jordan, who is also a state legislator, added that Sterling was selling CDs with the permission of the convenience store owner. 
 
Triple S store owner Abdullah Muflahi told The Advocate that he witnessed police retrieving a gun from Sterling&#39;s pocket after the shooting, although Sterling did not hold a weapon during the altercation. 
 
&quot;They were really aggressive with him from the start,&quot; Muflahi said about the police officers, adding that they were &quot;freaking out&quot; after the incident. 
 
Muflahi said he heard one of the officers say: &quot;Just leave him.&quot; 
 
Civil rights group Black Lives Matter, which was referenced by many protesters in Louisiana, tweeted: &quot;Enough is enough. #AltonSterling.&quot; 
 
African American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson also expressed outrage over the shooting today. 
 
&quot;The shooting of #AltonSterling in #BatonRouge is a legal lynching. Justice must prevail. #Outraged,&quot; Jackson wrote on Twitter. 
 
(AFP)

The shooting took place after police were tipped off by an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun

Louisiana police have shot and killed a black man selling CDs outside a convenience store, triggering protests over the latest in a string of cases of alleged police brutality against black suspects. A video shot by a witness and circulated online showed two officers ordering a tall black man to the ground early Tuesday. As he remained standing, the officers wrestled him onto the roof of a car and then to the ground. While he was pinned down by the officers, one pulled a gun and shot him four times at close range. "They shot him? Oh my fucking goodness!" a witness can be heard as exclaiming in the background of the video. At least one woman can be heard wailing and repeating "Oh my God!" Police in the state's capital Baton Rouge identified the man as Alton Sterling, 37, saying two officers "made contact" with him in the parking lot of the convenience store. The shooting took place at 12:35 am (0435 GMT) Tuesday after police received a tip from an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun, according to a police statement. "An altercation between Sterling and the officers ensued. Sterling was shot during the altercation and died at the scene," police said on Facebook. They said that in accordance with "standard procedure," the two officers involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office said Sterling was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, WAFB television reported. News reports said the officers were wearing body cameras, which police said fell off during the confrontation. However, in addition to the witness video, the shooting was captured by the store's surveillance camera and at least one patrol car dashboard camera, state representative C. Denise Marcelle told news media after being briefed by the police chief. About 100 people, including friends and relatives of Sterling, protested outside the convenience store after shooting, some blocking roads, The Advocate newspaper reported. Holding up handmade signs, they chanted: "Black lives matter" and "Hands up, don't shoot." "Justice for Alton" and "Justice 4 CD Man" read some of the signs. "What I said to the (police) chief is he has to have transparency in this matter because as you can see, this is getting out of hand. People are clearly upset and they want transparency," Marcelle said. 'Legal lynching' Edmond Jordan, an attorney representing Sterling's family, said the shooting was completely unjustified. "That police officer fired two shots and he seemed to pause for a while and shot him two more times. I don't think any of those shots were justified, but I'm curious as to why he paused for such a long time and then fired two more times," he told CNN. Jordan, who is also a state legislator, added that Sterling was selling CDs with the permission of the convenience store owner. Triple S store owner Abdullah Muflahi told The Advocate that he witnessed police retrieving a gun from Sterling's pocket after the shooting, although Sterling did not hold a weapon during the altercation. "They were really aggressive with him from the start," Muflahi said about the police officers, adding that they were "freaking out" after the incident. Muflahi said he heard one of the officers say: "Just leave him." Civil rights group Black Lives Matter, which was referenced by many protesters in Louisiana, tweeted: "Enough is enough. #AltonSterling." African American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson also expressed outrage over the shooting today. "The shooting of #AltonSterling in #BatonRouge is a legal lynching. Justice must prevail. #Outraged," Jackson wrote on Twitter. (AFP)

Video shows Louisiana cops holding black man down, shooting him point-blank 4 times

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