The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Thursday sued US President Donald Trump’s administration Thursday, alleging officials breached the civil rights of protesters who were forcefully removed from a park near the White House by police using chemical agents before Trump walked to a nearby church to take a photo op.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Washington, comes as US Attorney General William Barr defended the decision to forcefully remove the peaceful protesters, saying it was necessary to protect officers and federal property.
The suit argues that Trump, Barr and other officials “unlawfully conspired to violate” the protesters’ rights when clearing Lafayette Park on Monday. Law enforcement officers aggressively forced the protesters back, firing smoke bombs and pepper balls into the crowd to disperse them.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the group Black Lives Matter DC and individual protesters who were present. It was filed by the ACLU of DC, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the law firm of Arnold & Porter.
Barr said he had met with other law enforcement officials earlier on Monday and decided they needed to extend a security perimeter around the White House to protect federal agents “who could be reached by projectiles from the street.”
He expected the perimeter to be moved in the early afternoon, but when he arrived in the evening, shortly before Trump was set to speak at a news conference, he learned it was not done and ordered law enforcement officials to take action.
After the crowd was dispersed, Trump, followed by an entourage of his most senior aides — including Barr — along with Secret Service agents and reporters, walked over to St John’s Church, where every president, including Trump, has prayed, that had been damaged on Sunday night in a protest fire.
Barr said Trump, as the nation’s chief executive, had every right to do so and said it was not political.
US Park Police launched a probe after officers were seen hitting an Australian journalist with a shield as they cleared the protesters.
For days, the federal government has vowed to have an aggressive response in the District of Columbia after nights of violence that led to fires being set, windows shattered, store shelves emptied and dozens of police officers injured. The federal government has deployed law enforcement officials from numerous agencies, and National Guard troops from a number of states have been sent to DC.
The Department of Justice had deployed agents from every one of its agencies, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, an elite tactical unit, and riot teams from the Bureau of Prisons.
Members of Congress have raised concerns about a number of federal law enforcement officials in Washington who have refused to identify which agency they work for and stand, armed, without any visible identification or badges.
Some lawmakers have vowed to introduce legislation to require federal agents to identify themselves at protests.
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