“Do I look like a left wing extremist with a penchant for violence?”

Yesterday the Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States, Joe Biden, gave a speech to reject the criticism that Republicans and President Donald Trump have leveled at him in recent days about the violence and looting that have occurred in recent days. days in various American cities. and particularly in Portland, where a Trump supporter who was part of some kind of armed militia was killed in a clash with some African-American human rights protesters.

In recent days, Trump and Republicans have tried to blame Biden and the Democrats for supporting the most violent fringes of the demonstrations. Biden responded with a speech broadcast live and on several US television channels in which he reiterated his distance from the most violent protesters – “looting, doing violent things and setting fire does not mean protesting” – and responded sarcastically to Republicans who do so. described as hostage to the most extreme faction of the American left.

“You know my story and that of my family. Think about it: do I look like a left-wing extremist with a penchant for violence? Really? I want a safe America, safe from COVID, crime and looting, but also from racial violence and police who do their jobs badly. “

Biden added: “We are facing many crises that are multiplying under the administration of Donald Trump. […] Trump goes on to say that if he were president, none of this would happen, that you would be safe. Well guess what: he’s the president, whether he knows it or not. And these things keep happening. And do you know why? Because Donald Trump incites violence and adds fuel to the fire.

Trump has tried several times to associate Biden with the more violent fringes of protests that rage for several weeks against racism and police violence against minorities. Yesterday He asked himself controversially on Twitter “When will Slow Joe criticize the anarchists, the violent and the agitators of the Antifa movement”.

– Read also: What does “Antifa” mean?

For weeks, Trump has been trying to present himself as the candidate on the police and law enforcement side, repeatedly describing the protesters as “terrorists” and “violent.” Several observers agree that since some years ago there has been an attempt to foment violence and divisions to gain political advantage: only in the last two days, for example, defended a right-wing extremist who shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, He suggested that Biden is controlled by “shadow people” who own armed militias, and invoked a “cleaning” of Portland protesters.